Loose Change Adds Up for Charity

There’s untold value in loose change. You could have a small treasure hiding between your couch cushions or in your junk drawer. Although many of us no longer carry cash or coin, there always seems to be some coinage lying around that goes unnoticed. Now imagine if everyone in your office pooled together their loose change for a good cause. How much could you raise?

That’s just the question asked by Kimberley Dickinson, an IC System supervisor in the Onalaska, Wisconsin branch office. Between February 18 and March 1, employees in the Onalaska office collected their spare change in a friendly competition between several teams. It’s all part of an effort to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network.

The competition played out as team members were asked to donate spare change. Each piece of coin had a point value. For instance, a quarter was worth 25 points, whereas a dollar in coin could be used to purchase an Icon from the Children’s Miracle Network worth 200 points. Since this was an initiative to collect change, the donation of paper money resulted in a subtraction of points (a $1 bill removed 100 points from a team total). At the end of the two weeks, the team with the highest number of points from the coin donations earned a free lunch for their members.

As you can see by the photo above, several Icons were sold and, in just two short weeks, the Onalaska office was able to raise $1,281.07 in spare change donations. “It was incredible to see everyone dig deep and find some spare change,” said Dickinson. “I don’t think anyone was expecting to gather such a huge amount in coin. It was really inspiring—and supporting a great cause!”

IC System’s Onalaska office and its more than 175 employees have raised donations and supported the Children’s Miracle Network for a number of years, including participating in their annual Radiothon. Thank you to the Onalaska staff for being a proud contributor to your community and gathering loose change for charity.