Common Cents Mission: Common Cents, creator of the Penny Harvest, nurtures a new generation of caring and capable young people between the ages of four and 24 by enabling them to strengthen their communities through philanthropy and service-learning.

Penny Harvest location: 

Join the Common Cents email list!
Donate to Common Cents and the Penny Harvest!
Tell A Friend about Common Cents and the Penny Harvest!
Call us at 212-PENNIES - Common Cents New York is dedicated to advancing social justice and equal opportunity by emboldening a generation of young people to become community activists and good citizens during their youth.
Penny Harvest Field

Search the Common Cents and Penny Harvest web site  

Penny Harvest Report

Bookmark and Share


What's New at Common Cents and the Penny Harvest

SAVE THE DATE: Join Common Cents and The Moth for an evening of wine tasting and storytelling on May 17, 2010.

ATTENTION VOLUNTEERS: Join us at our Annual Leader Pin Volunteer Event on March 6, 2010.

Visit our new blog to keep up with what's happening at Common Cents!

Find us elswhere online:

Facebook logo

Facebook logo

Youtube logo 

Myspace Logo

We-Care logo

Flickr Logo

 Common Cents's Online Shopping Mall


Instant Poll
Who do you think should be responsible for teaching our children to be good citizens?
Families
Schools
Religious institutions
Educational programs (like the Penny Harvest!)
All of the above
Home > About Us
email this page | print this page

ABOUT US

Welcome to Common Cents!

We are an educational, not-for-profit organization, which specializes in creating and managing service-learning programs for young people. Our most popular and best known program is the Penny Harvest, the largest child philanthropy program in the United States.

Other Common Cents programs include the Student Community Action Fund, our high school leadership council, and Near Peer, our mentoring program.

Common Cents grew from the desire of a four-year-old (our Co-Founder, Nora Gross) to feed a homeless man in 1991. That need led her to ask her father (Teddy Gross, our other Co-Founder and our Executive Director) how she could help. His quest to answer that question gave birth to Common Cents and the Penny Harvest. Read the full story in Nora’s own words.

And since 1991, children between the ages of four and 14 have been converting their natural compassion for others into action by collecting pennies and turning those pennies into grants for community organizations. The Penny Harvest shows young people they have the ability to change the world by introducing them to the power of philanthropy and service during their formative years. As children help others, they develop their generosity and moral character, and they learn through practice the skills and responsibilities of democratic participation.  Learn all about the Penny Harvest.




Common Cents Mission:
Common Cents, creator of the Penny Harvest, nurtures a new generation of caring and capable young people between the ages of four and 14 by enabling them to strengthen their communities through philanthropy and service-learning.


What Is Service-Learning?
Service-learning is an educational method that entwines the threads of experiential learning and community service. It meets educational objectives through real-world experiences, while tapping youths as resources to benefit their schools and communities. Guided by teachers and community leaders, young people address real community needs by planning and executing service projects that are carefully tied to curricula. This hands-on learning enhances comprehension, academic achievement, citizenship, and character development, often reaching students who haven’t responded to traditional educational models. Service-learning is education in action: developing critical-thinking and problem solving skills; taking on issues such as hunger, homelessness, and diversity; and valuing people of all ages as citizens with talents to offer.

Source: www.nylc.org
(National Youth Leadership Council)
 
Back to top
 

Home | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Web Credits


 

Close Window
Close Window