New Town Elementary Raises $5,000 for Cancer Research

With help from loose change, New Town Elementary School students and teachers have raised more than $5,000 for blood cancer research, officials announced.

The total—$5,214.86 to be exact—will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program. In a release, the organization said it was the school's second year participating in the program. New Town is the third highest-raising school in the program, according to the organization.

“It was very much a team effort,” Lori Counsell, a guidance counselor who coordinated the school's effort, said in the release.

The school raised money through a "Jar-of-Money" game where students would pay a quarter to guess how much money was inside. The money in the jar was given to the classroom of the winning student, and the money raised went to the charity.

Students and teachers could pay $1 to wear pajamas to school, according to the release. Classrooms competed to see who could raise the most, and some teachers massed their classroom's donations.

“For us, it's more than just a fundraiser, it’s a universal character building experience,” Counsell said in the release. “I think this program’s really helpful for the kids to open their horizons and learn a little bit more about helping others.”