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Pennies for the Blind

REACH grant proposal submitted by Big Knob Elementary School.

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PSLA Special Education Application

Name of School: Big Knob Elementary School
Name of School District: Freedom Area School District
Name of person submitting grant: Dr. Dale A. Kline
Title/Position: Elementary Music Teacher/Middle School IST Coordinator
Title of Project: Pennies for the Blind
# of Students participating: 417
Dates of project: February 2000-March 2000

REACH Grant Proposal

Vision Statement
'Pennies for the Blind' is a service learning project designed to enhance the students' knowledge and awareness of visual disabilities. Working in conjunction with the Beaver County Association for the Blind, it is our goal to increase the students' understanding and compassion for people who are disadvantaged.

Project Design
This service-learning project is under the category of human needs. The students will be actively involved in collecting pennies to donate to the Beaver County Association for the Blind, providing funds to be used for transportation of their clients. The students will collect pennies by the foot, building to yards and then miles. The goal is to collect enough miles of pennies to connect our two elementary schools. The miles of pennies will be displayed throughout the hallways so that the children will be able to chart their progress. All students in grades kindergarten through fourth will be involved in 'Pennies for the Blind'.

Beaver County Association for the Blind will provide speakers and printed materials for the children to increase their awareness and understanding of visual handicaps.

Program Design
'Pennies for the Blind' is designed to provide funds and support to our neighbors who are visually impaired. With the money collected, the agency will be able to help provide transportation for their clients, and possibly other needs. The students will learn to become more responsible members of their community, showing compassion and understanding for those with disabilities.

Participant Roles
This project will involve the entire population of the school, including students, teachers, and parents. The teachers will be the mentors of the project, guiding and overseeing all aspects. The students will be actively involved in each step, working individually, in small groups and as a classroom to plan and implement the project. Activities will include the collecting and calculating of funds, measuring distances, language arts activities and social skills in presentations to agency. Beaver County Association for the Blind will provide services, including speakers and materials for the students.

Partnerships
The Beaver County Association for the Blind and our elementary school will work hand in hand throughout this project. It is our goal for each entity to grow through this experience. The agency will help to educate our children in the area of visual handicaps while the students learn how they can make a difference in the lives of others.

School-To-Work
'Pennies for the Blind' will expose our students to career opportunities with agencies providing services to people. Through speakers and agency administration, the students will have the opportunities to learn more about these careers.

Academic Connection
Academically, this project will encompass three main areas; math, geography, and language arts. In math, the students will collect, sort and calculate the money collected. They will then use their measuring and distance skills in determining how many feet, yards, and miles of pennies have been collected. Reflection activities will include writing stories, letters or poems, expressing things they have learned throughout the project. Photo displays will be created for the school and the agency. These skills are directly related to our district's academic standards, according to grade levels.

SCANS foundation skills include arithmetic and math, creative thinking, decision-making, responsibility, self-esteem, social skills and communication skills. These skills, along with others, will be acquired though the various activities planned in this project; the collecting and sorting of funds, the measuring and calculating of distances, writing stories, letters and poems for the agency clients.

Youth Voice
The students will actively participate in each step of the project. They will be responsible for the collection, measuring, and delivery of funds collected. They will assume leadership roles within their individual classrooms, making various decisions according to their grade levels and class activities. The students will be responsible for creating displays, both for the school building and for the Beaver County Association for the Blind. They will also demonstrate their citizenship skills as learned through our Peacemakers program.

Proposed Budget

Printing of 'Pennies for the Blind' yard cards: $375.00

Lamination Materials $100.00

Film and Developing $ 25.00