During the months of February and March the Henry Inman Branch Library will be participating in Pennies for Peace. This is a program sponsored by the New Jersey State Library  for “all public and school libraries to encourage them to join with us in this drive to offer children in another part of the world the opportunity to read,” said Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian. All funds collected will be donated to Pennies for Peace which collects funds for the Central Asia Institute co-founded by Greg Mortenson, the subject of the bestselling biography, “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time.”  There is also a children’s book of the same title that has been adapted for young readers by Sarah Thomson. Mr. Mortenson’s new book, “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books not Bombs in Afghanistan and Pakistan” is available in the library. The money will be used to build school libraries in those countries.

The Pennies for Peace service-learning program began at Westside Elementary School in River Fall, WI in 1994, when students, through their own initiative, raised 62,340 pennies to help Greg build his first school in Pakistan. The Pennies for Peace program is designed to help students broaden their cultural horizons and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time. While a penny is virtually worthless in the United States, in impoverished countries a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy.

This project also honors Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12.  Lincoln firmly believed in education, equality, opportunity and peace

To kick off this year’s program, please join us for tea and cookies Wednesday February 3, 2010 from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Last year the patrons and staff of the Henry Inman Branch  collected $81.00. Help us double that amount in 2010.   A replica of a small log cabin to collect pennies will be located at the circulation desk.  Come into the Henry Inman Branch at 607 Inman Avenue, Colonia and drop your pennies into our log cabin. While entitled “Pennies for Peace” we will be happy to accept coins in higher denominations as well as bills. We hope that everyone will be wearing our Pennies for Peace sticker.

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