Pennies for Presents campaign now on

If you've been saving your pennies for a rainy day, now is the time to cart out your coppers.

The 22nd annual Pennies for Presents campaign is currently underway to collect coins for Christmas gifts for Tri-Cities kids.

All funds will be donated to SHARE Family & Community Services Society to purchase presents for tots, tykes, tweens and teens who otherwise might not get to unwrap anything over the holidays.

Last year's Pennies campaign brought in more than $21,000, breaking the previous record by $3,000.

Since the annual coin drive began more than two decades ago, Tri-Cities residents have donated nearly $180,000 to the cause.

Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies, toonies, bills and cheques can be dropped off at The NOW's office at 201A-3430 Brighton Ave. in Burnaby weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office is across from the Production Way-University SkyTrain station.

Cheques should be made payable to SHARE Family & Community Services. For more information, contact The NOW at 604-444-3451.

Donations will also be accepted at the following Tri-Cities locations:

COQUITLAM:

- RCMP detachment at 2986 Guildford Way.

- Coquitlam Fire Hall No. 1 at 1300 Pinetree Way

- Ridgeway Community Police Station at 1059 Ridgeway Ave.

- Burquitlam Community Police Station at 560 Clarke Rd.

- SHARE Family & Community Services at 20025 King Edward St.

- Scotiabank at 953 Brunette Ave.

- Scotiabank at 465 North Rd.

- Scotiabank at Coquitlam Centre

PORT COQUITLAM:

- Port Coquitlam Fire Hall No. 1 at 1725 Broadway St.

- Downtown Port Coquitlam Community Police Station at 2581 Mary Hill Rd.

- Northside PoCo Community Police Station at 3312 Coast Meridian Rd.

- Scotiabank at 4100-2850 Shaughnessy St.

PORT MOODY:

- Port Moody Police Department at 3051 St. Johns St.

- Port Moody Fire Hall No. 1 at 200 Ioco Rd.

- SHARE Food Bank at 2615 Clarke St.

- Scotiabank at 2501 St. Johns St.

Source http://www.thenownews.com/news/Pennies+Presents+campaign/5753423/story.html

HOW TO SAVE MONEY (AND KEEP YOUR SANITY)

THERE has never been a better time for us all to try to save money but wouldn’t it be great if we could make savings without sacrificing the things we love and if we could tighten our belts without squeezing the fun out of life? Author TESS READ believes it is possible: ‘I’ve worked in finance and business for many years and I’ve found there are many ways of cutting costs without cutting back on enjoyment. Whatever your situation, there are ways to save.’ Here are Tess’s Top 10 Tips...

1. Money – the basics. Take control of your finances. It’s almost never worth paying a monthly fee for a current account with a bank, so if you do, stop and switch accounts now. The Nationwide’s current account has no monthly fee, has benefits such as free travel insurance and the profits don’t go to line the pockets of any bankers because it is a mutual. It’s free to switch and all your direct debits will be carried over.

2. Credit cards, the good, the bad and the ugly. The good news about credit cards is that if you can pay off the balance in full each month they are great things, especially those offering you cashback like the cards from the Halifax or Co-op. The bad news is that if you have something like the average UK credit card debt, £3,000, and you pay off only the minimum 2 per cent balance, it will take you 45 years to pay off the debt, costing £7,600 in interest!

The ugly truth is that the credit card companies often have the minimum payment ticked for you as the default option so always try to pay more than the minimum. with the £3,000 debt, if you pay off £100 per month it takes only a bit over three years to pay off the debt and costs £1,000 in interest, a saving of £6,600.

Look at the minimum repayment calculator on moneysavingexpert.com to work out how long it would take to pay off your debt on different repayment amounts. If you have a lot of credit card debt, try getting a bank loan instead.

3. Household cleaning expenses and how to cut them drastically by cleaning your home with a lemon. Yes, really. You don’t

need dedicated cleaning products for different cleaning jobs in the home, instead you can use the wonder items of bicarbonate of soda, white wine vinegar and lemons. Visit vinegartips.com for more information and some great advice.

4. Not shopping but swishing. Swishing parties are great ways of finding clothes that are new for you while you exchange old

clothes that you don’t need any more. Look at swishing.com to find swishing parties near you. often you pay a small entrance fee (about £3 and that usually goes to charity), bring along

5. Great holidays without great expense why not think about exchanging your home for someone else’s for your next holiday? The website homeexchange.com has people from all corners of the world and the UK who are looking to stay somewhere in exchange for you staying in their home. If you don’t have an available property then maybe couchsurfing is for you. Look at couchsurf.org or for cheap camping why not camp in someone’s garden?

Check out campinmygarden.com.

6. Need your house redecorated without vast expense? Maybe a television crew would do it for you for free. You can register at beonashow.com.

7. Save money on parking. Parking can often be expensive, be it on the street or in a carpark, but if you rent someone’s drive you can save pounds. Take a look at parkatmyhouse. com, yourparkingspace.co.uk or parkonmydrive. com to see what you could save.

8. Don’t let the supermarkets push your trolley around. They should not be in control of what you buy with their bright signage, eye-level marketing and clever store layouts which have milk in one corner, cereal in the opposite corner. Instead make a list of what you actually want and need and try to stick to it. Change shops when deals change: have loyalty to yourself not to a supermarket.

9. Water is money. If you have fewer people in your house than bedrooms then the rule of thumb is that you could save money with a water meter. If you live in England your water company will fit a meter for you for free. There are lots of free gadgets you can get from your water company which will mean your home uses less water without you even noticing and with a water meter this will save you money too. Check out savewatersavemoney.com to find out more.

10. Shhh – don’t tell them it’s a wedding. If you are planning the big day one tip that can save you pounds is not to tell the caterer, the entertainment and even the cake maker (if you are planning an unusual cake) that it’s a wedding. They routinely double their prices compared to any other special event, like a birthday or an anniversary. You should probably tell the photographer though!

Source http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/275018

Bible Camp Kids Raise a Cool Thousand for Children's Hospital

Children learn about charity, saving and how every little penny adds up over four-day summer program at Fellowship Church in Middletown.

A group of Middletown-area kids attending summer Bible camp recently gathered enough loose change to make a $1,100 donation to the Hartford children’s hospital.

In four days.

Fellowship Church on Saybrook Road hosted 104 children from July 5-8 in grades kindergarten to sixth, and using the PandaMania curriculum, participants rotated through stations like drama, music and crafts throughout the day, while hearing stories to help them understand God.

On family night, a check for $1,100 was presented to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

“We have had several children in he past year who went to the CCMC,” said Lara SantaMaria, director of children’s ministries at Fellowship.

“One little boy who was born with a rare disease actually was going regularly and now he’s considered cured. The parents talked a lot about it and the great care they received.”

Each day, SantaMaria said, children were asked to go home and collect different coins: pennies on Monday, nickels on Tuesday, ect. "We asked people to dig out their piggy banks," she said. "Obviously, the families helped."

Still, she said, “I was surprised they raised so much money — in change."

“They’re very competitive, so we had a competition between the boys and the girls,” she explained, and instead of declaring a winner, the children were told, “anyone who goes to the Connecticut Children’s Center is actually a winner.”

More than 55 volunteers were involved throughout the week.

Source http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/bible-camp-kids-raise-a-cool-thousand-for-childrens-hospital

Program on saving money planned for kids at libraries

Buck, the mascot for Susquehanna Bank's MegaBuck$ Kids Club, will be visiting city libraries for "Mind Your Pennies," an interactive discussion on saving money for kids.

There will also be story time and crafts. The dates are:

July 12, 11:30 a.m.: Reading Public Library, Fifth and Franklin streets.

July 12, 2 p.m.: Reading Public Library Northwest Branch, 901 Schuylkill Ave.

July 13, 1:30 p.m.: Reading Public Library Northeast Branch, 11th and Pike streets.

July 13, 3:30 p.m.: Reading Public Library Southeast Branch, 1426 Perkiomen Ave.

• The Celebrant Singers will perform on Friday at 7 p.m. at Rosedale Grove, 1616 Vine St., Laureldale

• Dr. Susan Phillips Speece, retiring Penn State Berks chancellor, recently received a certificate of appreciation from William E. Donahue, director of campus police and security at University Park, in recognition of her unwavering commitment to Penn State Berks police.

Speece's vision, leadership and support during her tenure were cited as helping campus police establish a reputation for high standards of performance, professionalism and leadership within the Berks County law enforcement community and the Penn State University system.

Source http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=317368

Elementary school students make strides in raising funds to save Asian Elephants

During a slumber party at the Christiano residents, fifth grade students at Lindbergh Elementary School in Kenmore, Vinnie Christiano and Alex Rine, asked Mrs. Jeanne Christiano if she had a box that they could use so they could start saving some pennies.

Jeanne kindly agreed and the boys began their savings. Rather than saving for a new bike or a new video game, Alex and Vinnie wanted to raise money to help save the Endangered Asian Elephant.

After multiple fund-raisers that were initiated by the two students and supported by school officials including bake sales, chicken dinners, and collecting pocket change from parents, the grand total of funds raised was $500.

“We originally set a goal of $400. I am still in aw that we have made it this far,” Alex said.

Denise Rine, Alex’s mother, was so pleased with the success that her son and friend, Vinnie, achieved that she called the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey to offer them the donation in support of their elephants.

To her surprise, they were not accepting donations. Instead, they transferred her to the International Elephant Foundation (IEF), which is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to funding elephant conservation and research programs around the world.

Deborah Olsen, executive director of the IEF, was impressed by the amount of funds the boys raised, and the passion that Alex and Vinnie had for the cause. She suggested that the funds should be used toward research for Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), an often-fatal disease that infects baby elephants in zoos and in the wild.

In turn, the boys, their classmates, teachers, and family members were thrilled to hear the announcement that their efforts in fund-raising were going to make a difference for suffering elephants.

“The elephant population is small. Not a lot of people like elephants or big animals because they think they are rough, rude, and mean,” said Alex. “But, they aren’t like that at all. They only react badly if you are in their territory. They need our help.”

The compassion and love that Alex and Vinnie have for elephants has made global news. Not only did Olson find the cause impressive, she decided to spread the news to zoos across the country.

As a result, the Buffalo Zoological Gardens, the Denver Zoological Gardens, the San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, the Dickerson Park Zoo, the Dallas Zoo, the Riverbank Zoo and Garden, the Elephant Managers Association, and the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey have all agreed to match the $500 that Alex and Vinnie raised currently increasing the funds to more than $6,000.

“I am speechless. Alex just loves animals, he pours his heart and soul into the elephant conservation and the general well-being of animals,” Denise said. “The ambition that these two boys had to reach their goal is unbelievable. Truthfully, I don’t think they are finished with this yet.”

In addition to zoos matching the funds, the Greenville Zoo and individual board members of the IEF have each donated $100 and the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey, in addition to already contributing a comparable amount of money to the cause, have agreed to match the total funds raised by all contributing parties.

“We could never have imagined this result,” said Denise. “Their teacher, Wendy Cummins, taught a lesson during class that stressed the idea of ‘you can make a difference.’ The boys really listened to this and look where it got them. People really can make a difference.”

For more information regarding the IEF, EEHV, or to learn how you can donate, visit www.elephantconservation.org.

For more local news and sports, go to www.metrowny.com.

Source http://www.metrowny.com/news/269-Elementary_school_students_make_strides_in_raising_funds_to_save_Asian_Elephants.html

T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G coming by June 15 with dual-core, Android 2.3

You T-Mobile users out there better start saving up your pennies because the drool-worthy HTC Sensation 4G will be in stores by June 15 and you’re probably going to want it.

The HTC Sensation 4G will be the first T-Mobile phone to rock the dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processor for lightning-fast performances. This will also rock the latest version of the Sense UI and you can check out the Flyer review to see what this adds to Android 2.3. Basically, it’s a smart and pretty user interface layer that should be pleasing to most, even the die-hard Google fans.

The T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G sports a 4.3-inch qHD display with a 16:9 orientation and this means it’s a bit slimmer in the hand than some of the giant Android phones we’ve seen before. I held a prototype in my hands a few weeks ago and I can tell you that this is an absolute delight to hold – it’s light without feeling cheap and it just rests in your hand perfectly. HTC is even bringing innovation to the battery cover, as some of the radios are integrated into the back case itself for a nearly groove-less design when you pop it open (little difficult to explain, we’ll have video shortly).

Speaking of radios, the T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G is called 4G for a reason, as it sports HSPA+ capabilities for up to 14.4 Mbps download speeds. We would have loved 21 Mbps down like with the Samsung Galaxy S 4G but I guess that’s not too bad. Other radios include WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. The handset rocks an 8-megapixel camera that can record in 1080p HD, has 1 GB of internal storage to go along with the microUSB slot and it has 768 MB of RAM.

We should have a review up for you very shortly, so keep it locked here and let us know what you would specifically like to know about the handset. Are you excited yet?

Source http://www.intomobile.com/2011/05/31/tmobile-htc-sensation-4g-coming-june-15/

Penny the Will Rogers dog playful after recovering from surgery

After five weeks of little movement and needing a sling to help her walk and “do her business” while recovering from hip surgery, the Will Rogers School dog hit by a car in March is now running and playing with toys in a backyard.

The dog, now named Penny, was originally called Bailey upon rescue, so Sherry Claybrook of Saving Pets at Risks calls her “Penny Bailey.”

It was mid-March when the wandering puppy was hit by a car in front of Will Rogers School, with that accident witnessed by many of the students walking to school.

The dog captured the hearts of students and staff of the elementary school, where a fundraiser was held to help pay her veterinary bills. The students gathered their pennies, change and dollars, and raised $1,700, Claybrook said.

They also had a contest and named the dog Penny because of all the pennies they collected to help pay for her care. Penny underwent surgery for a fractured pelvis, among other injuries, with veterinarians putting steel plates in her hip. With help, she slowly began to heal and learned to walk again.

As she recuperated, she was kept in rehabilitative care by Claybrook and her husband, Tom, where she became part of their family.

She spent much of her initial recovery time in a dog kennel to limit her movement for healing. With injuries limiting what her bladder could hold, the couple had to take Penny out for frequent breaks, including many 3 a.m. walks, with one of them leading her on the leash and the other holding the sling that kept her pelvis still and her feet off the ground.

The first night she didn’t need to go out at 3 a.m. “was like a baby sleeping through the night,” Claybrook said.

Claybrook said the dog has made an amazing recovery. And other than a shorter coat in areas where she was shaved for surgery, or a slight hobble in her step, one wouldn’t know the ordeal she’s been through.

The veterinarian never thought the dog would walk, Claybrook said, and now she’s romping around the backyard, playing with dog toys.

“We’ve both become really attached to her — we’ve bonded,” she said.

Penny, who will be spayed Monday, should be ready to go home with her new owner by the end of next week. A Will Rogers third-grade teacher who helped the dog the day of the accident has adopted Penny.

Michelle Lanham heard the accident from her classroom and ran outside to help the injured puppy. Animal control was going to take the dog, but the school librarian called Claybrook because of her affiliation with SPAR.

“I fell in love with her and I wasn’t going to let her go,” Lanham said, adding the minute she looked into the dog’s eyes, “she was mine.”

Lanham, who said SPAR got the dog immediate care, said she and her family can’t wait to get her home.

“I can’t imagine life without her,” she said.

In addition to the what the students collected, other private donations helped pay the $4,000 bill for Penny’s care so far, Claybrook said, but she’ll need follow-up care.

Those wanting to help SPAR with rescue efforts, or get more information about SPAR, can go to: www.sparshawnee.org.

Source http://www.news-star.com/features/x1993414403/Penny-the-Will-Rogers-dog-playful-after-recovering-from-surgery