Jon Kaplan Writing Samples - October 2016

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JON KAPLAN WRITING SAMPLES

312-342-4304, [email protected]

The written materials below, include news releases, an Op-Ed letter, and feature articles, demonstrate the ability to creatively write in various styles and tones, in order to suit the situation, audience and goal of the communication.

1. NEWS RELEASE: Navy Pier Turns 100 – 2016 2. NEWS RELEASE: Clarke Mosquito Helps Achieve Medical Milestone in

Nigeria (Honored by The Carter Center) - 2013 3. NEWS RELEASE: Honoring Our Veterans Campaign Recap – 2014 4. OP-ED LETTER: Bond Court – 2012 5. NEWS ARTICLE: Safer Foundation Success Story – 2012 6. NEWS ARTICLE: Penny Project – 2010

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(Navy Pier News Release – July, 2016 – Written by Jon Kaplan)

CONTACTS:

Navy Pier:

Jon Kaplan, (312) 595-5136, [email protected]

Payal Patel, (312) 595-5073, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 11, 2016

A CENTURY IN THE MAKING: NAVY PIER’S 100TH BIRTHDAY!

Free events and activities on July 15, including a birthday party and special fireworks show, to

be part of the memorable Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration

CHICAGO – On July 15, a beloved Chicago landmark turns 100. But, rather than receiving gifts,

Navy Pier plans to give gifts to guests that day, with free, fun events and activities, as part of the

Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration. It’s also proud to announce a special gift to 100

Chicagoland nonprofits.

Since it’s a big birthday, Navy Pier will have a really BIG cake!

The public is invited to attend a family-oriented party, featuring

free slices of a giant, specially designed Eli’s Cheesecake;

games and activities for children; and other surprises. The

festivities are free and begin at 10 a.m.

Also as part of the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration,

Navy Pier will give back to the city by presenting 100 area

nonprofits with a unique Navy Pier experience. Those

nonprofits will receive up to 100 free rides on the new

Centennial Wheel to share with their constituents and the

communities they serve. The complete list of selected

nonprofits will be published on the Navy Pier website.

-more-

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Navy Pier’s 100th Birthday // Add One

The Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration continues that evening, when guests raise a glass

for a special toast to Navy Pier’s second century at approximately 9:25 p.m., and then enjoy a

special 100th Anniversary Fireworks show at 9:30 p.m., presented by Miller Lite.

“Navy Pier has meant so much to the city for so long. From those who danced in the now Aon

Grand Ballroom during the pier's golden age of the 1920s, to those who underwent military

training here, to the students who pursued college degrees here at what was once a college

campus, to those who now bring their families here today, Navy Pier has been an integral part

of life in Chicago for 100 years,” said Marilynn Gardner, President and Chief Executive Officer of

Navy Pier, Inc., the non-profit organization that operates Navy Pier. “Our team is working hard

to lay the foundation for the millions of memories to be made as our facility and its programming

evolve to better serve the needs of Navy Pier guests during its second century.”

“We are so pleased and proud to join Navy Pier as a partner in this historic celebration of 100

years,” said Robert Sullivan, Regional President and CEO, Fifth Third Bank. “We’re honored to

support this landmark and its guests, and we join Navy Pier in inviting the people of Chicago,

and beyond, to enjoy Navy Pier in a whole new way.”

Navy Pier, the world’s longest pier, stretches nearly three-quarters of a mile into Lake Michigan.

A few highlights of its illustrious history include these distinctions:

· 1916: Navy Pier (then named “Municipal Pier No. 2”), conceived by famed architect

and city planner Daniel Burnham, was the only one of five piers Burnham envisioned

for the Chicago lakefront that was actually built.

· World War I: The Pier housed several regiments of soldiers, Red Cross and Home

Defense units, as well as barracks for recruits, and even a jail for deserters. The Pier

was later renamed “Navy Pier” to honor Naval veterans of WWI.

· 1920s: A site for both shipping commerce and entertainment, it even hosted dance

marathons.

· World War II: Navy pilot training orientation took place here. As many as 200 WWII

Planes may still rest at the bottom of Lake Michigan as a result of training accidents.

· 1960s: Navy Pier was the original University of Illinois-Chicago campus and was

known as “Harvard on the Rocks.”

· 1970s: Navy Pier hosted the first “ChicagoFest,” which would later evolve into the

world-renowned “Taste of Chicago” food festival.

· 1990s and beyond: Navy Pier becomes home to a myriad of attractions, activities and

events, including the Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theater,

Pepsi Tall Ships Festivals, the first-ever freshwater competition of the Louis Vuitton

America’s Cup World Series Chicago, the country’s newest Ferris wheel (named the

“Centennial Wheel”), plus new arts and cultural programming.

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Navy Pier’s 100th Birthday // Add Two For additional history of Navy Pier and a look at the exciting evolution underway for this

landmark, a new microsite – www.100yearsofpier.com – will go live on July 15.

Also on July 15, one of Navy Pier’s marquee partners offers its own special event to celebrate

the 100th anniversary of the Midwest’s most-visited leisure destination. The Tony Award-winning

Chicago Shakespeare Theater will perform the delightful romantic comedy, “Twelfth Night,” for

free, on an outdoor stage on Navy Pier’s East End Plaza at 6:30 p.m. This production features

some of Shakespeare’s quintessential poetry and comedic characters, all in a 75-minute

theatrical romp that audiences of all ages will enjoy.

On Saturday, July 16, the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration continues, with the

presentation of Chicago Beatbox LTD at 2 p.m. in the Miller Lite Beer Garden. Feel the beat

with Yuri Lane, Chicago’s legendary “Human Beatbox,” as he hosts and performs in a showcase

of extraordinary talent. Beatboxers, rappers, break-dancers, and musicians converge with tap

dancers, storytellers, slam poets, and singers for a symphony of sound like no other! A graffiti

artist will create memorable images to mark the event. Located on the East End of Navy Pier,

the Miller Lite Beer Garden is a one-of-a-kind outdoor destination on Lake Michigan with food,

drinks, and live music throughout the weekend. There’s never a cover charge.

For more details on the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration and upcoming events at Navy

Pier, please visit www.navypier.com or the Navy Pier Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

#100YearsOfPier

# # #

About Navy Pier

Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is the top-attended leisure destination in the Midwest, stretching

more than six city blocks and welcoming more than 9 million guests annually. Originally opened in 1916

as a shipping and recreation facility, this Chicago landmark showcases more than 50 acres of parks,

restaurants, attractions, retail shops, sightseeing and dining cruise boats, exposition facilities and more.

In 2016, Navy Pier celebrates its 100th anniversary with a series of special events and programming, the

grand opening of its new Centennial Wheel and ongoing pier-wide redevelopment efforts as part of the

“Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration.” Navy Pier, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization,

maintains and oversees Navy Pier and its redevelopment into a bolder, greener and more contemporary

urban space. For more information, visit our website at www.navypier.com.

About Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The

Company has $142 billion in assets and operates 1,241 full-service Banking Centers, including 95 Bank

Mart® locations, most open seven days a week, inside select grocery stores and over 2,500 ATMs in

Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia and

North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking,

Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has an 18.3% interest in Vantiv Holding,

LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2016, had

$303 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $26 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-

profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com

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(Clarke News Release – August 2013 – Written by Jon Kaplan)

Making communities around the world more livable, safe and comfortable.

Media Contact: For Immediate Release

Jon Kaplan, GreenMark

312-342-4304

[email protected]

Clarke Mosquito Nets Help Achieve Medical Milestone in Nigeria Chicago-area Company Works to Eradicate Mosquito-Borne Disease

CHICAGO (Aug. 12, 2013) – Clarke, a Chicago mosquito control company, along with

The Carter Center and several other organizations, recently hailed the end of a debilitating

mosquito-borne disease in two states in Nigeria, thanks to a partnership among the Nigeria

Federal Ministry of Health, The Carter Center, Clarke and other NGOs and corporations. Plateau

and Nasarawa are the first Nigerian states to stop the transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF),

also commonly known as elephantiasis.

This is a noteworthy medical achievement since Nigeria is one of the most endemic

countries in the world for LF, with 22 million people infected and an additional 100 million at

risk. Mosquitoes transmit LF, which can cause excessive swelling of a person’s limbs and

genitals. The disease can result in tremendous suffering and social stigma, drastically impacting

an individual’s quality of life and ability to work and care for his or her family.

The Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health and The Carter Center led an integrated team

strategy to fight this disease through public education, preventive measures and drug treatment.

In Nasarawa and Plateau states, the national program, in collaboration with its partner

organizations, distributed long-lasting insecticidal bed nets, donated by Clarke through its Clarke

Cares Foundation, as part of its “Net for Net Project.”

“Clarke’s Net for Net Project in Nigeria continues to serve as a shining example of the

good that can be accomplished when a company truly cares,” said former U.S. President and

Carter Center Founder Jimmy Carter. “Rosalynn and I are grateful for the partnership of

Clarke and the rest of the team and look forward to working with you toward the goal of 100

percent coverage of households in Nigeria.”

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Clarke Mosquito Nets // Add One

Mass treatment with the drugs ivermectin, donated by Merck, and albendazole, donated

by GlaxoSmithKline, was conducted alongside health education. However, experience in the

area found that medicine alone had not been sufficient to stop this disease. Mosquito bed nets

were also needed to stop the transmission of LF. Since 2009, the Clarke Cares Foundation has

donated nearly 100,000 DuraNet™ long-lasting insecticidal mosquito bed nets to The Carter

Center. These nets have been specifically targeted for Plateau and Nasarawa as part of this LF

elimination program and also for malaria control.

“Together with our supporters and other members of The Carter Center’s team, we are

proud to have helped make healthier futures for more than 240,000 people,” said J. Lyell Clarke,

III, president and CEO of Clarke. “Through the Clarke Cares Foundation, we aim to continue to

provide DuraNets to communities in Nigeria that are working hard to fight LF and malaria,

another mosquito-borne illness.”

LF is a parasitic infection that, in Africa, is usually spread by the same mosquitoes that

transmit malaria. In addition to swelling of limbs (lymphoedema and elephantiasis) and genital

organs (scrotal hydrocele), the disease causes painful recurrent attacks of acute fever and

inflamed lymph vessels (adenolymphangitis).

Considered a neglected tropical disease, LF almost exclusively affects the world’s

poorest people. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s population (1.3 billion people) is at risk

of contracting LF and approximately 120 million people in 83 countries are currently infected.

Worldwide, Nigeria’s population is the third most at risk of contracting the disease, behind only

India and Indonesia. Children and pregnant women are most susceptible.

In recent weeks, the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health announced that disease levels

were low enough in the two adjacent central Nigerian states to ensure LF could no longer be

transmitted. That allowed the Nigerian government and its partners to stop widespread

distribution of drug treatments.

This significant milestone has officials with The Carter Center optimistic that if LF can

be stopped in two of the worst-affected states in Nigeria, one of the world’s most-affected

countries, there are positive implications for global elimination of LF using these tools.

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Clarke Mosquito Nets // Add Two

Success in Nasarawa and Plateau means the program can now expand into other parts of

Nigeria, where The Carter Center will support an integrated drug treatment approach to combat

LF simultaneously with their existing programs to fight river blindness, malaria, trachoma and

schistosomiasis.

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health has started post-treatment surveillance in both

states. After a three-year surveillance period, the program will conduct a follow-up transmission

assessment survey to prove the disease is gone. River blindness (onchocerciasis) is co-endemic

with LF in several parts of Nigeria. As such, The Carter Center is still providing ivermectin drug

treatment for river blindness in 12 of the 30 local government areas in Nasarawa and Plateau,

with the goal of eliminating the disease in these states by 2020.

LF is one of only seven diseases that The Carter Center’s International Task Force for

Disease Eradication has named as potentially eradicable. A pioneer in eradication and

elimination of neglected diseases, The Carter Center spearheads the international campaign to

eradicate Guinea worm disease, leads the campaign to eliminate river blindness in the Americas

and four African countries, and advocates ridding the island of Hispaniola of malaria and LF. In

2009, The Carter Center expanded its work in Ethiopia to take on LF in 20 districts in support of

that country’s goal of eliminating LF by 2020.

Clarke Cares Foundation aims to save lives and reduce suffering from mosquito-borne

illnesses for those with critical needs around the world. For more information, including ways

you can help, please visit www.clarkecares.org.

###

Editors, please note: A companion video, “Nigeria Halts Lymphatic Filariasis in Two States” is

available on The Carter Center website at:

http://www.cartercenter.org/news/multimedia/HealthPrograms/NigeriaHaltsLymphaticFiliariasisinTwoSt

ates.html

-more-

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Clarke Mosquito Nets // Add Three

Also note: The following photos may be used to illustrate the Clarke Cares Foundation Net for net project

in Nigeria. Additional high-resolution photography to accompany editorial is available through the media

contact listed on this release. Please credit all images as courtesy of Clarke Cares Foundation.

About Clarke Cares Foundation

The Clarke Cares Foundation aims to save lives and reduce suffering from mosquito-borne illnesses for

those with critical needs around the world. From struggling communities to disaster zones, please join us

in this effort to help those who need it most. For more information, please visit www.clarkecares.org.

About Clarke

Clarke is a global environmental products and services company. A family-owned business based in

Roselle, Ill., our mission is to make communities more livable, safe and comfortable for families around

the world. We do this by pioneering, developing and delivering environmentally responsible mosquito

control and aquatic services to help prevent disease, control nuisances and create healthy waterways.

For more information, please visit www.clarke.com and find us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/MPdAMy.

About The Carter Center

"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope." A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The

Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 70 countries by resolving conflicts;

advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving

mental health care. The Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his

wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. Please

visit www.cartercenter.org to learn more about The Carter Center.

Kindly consider the environment before printing.

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(Fifth Third Bank News Release – November, 2014 – Written by Jon Kaplan)

CONTACT: Jon Kaplan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 312-704-4177(office)/312-342-4304(cell) November 19, 2014

Fifth Third Bank’s “Honoring Our Veterans” Campaign Results in

Jobs and Scholarships, Help and Hope for Hundreds of Area Veterans

(Chicago) – From new jobs and college scholarships, to house remodeling and care packages

from home, Fifth Third Bank is proud to have changed the lives of hundreds of veterans and

military families throughout Chicago and northwestern Indiana in 2014. The year-long campaign

culminated on Veterans Day, when more than 200 veterans received either job offers or solid

job leads by attending the Bank’s *first-of-its-kind* Hiring Fair for Veterans.

Fifth Third Bank joined forces with CareerBuilder, and two dozen Chicagoland employers, to

hold the Hiring Fair during the Bank’s fourth annual “Veterans Day of Appreciation” at Union

Station. During the event, Fifth Third helped veterans make the transition from the Armed

Forces to the workforce, by arranging job interviews with area companies looking to hire

veterans. United Airlines, Baxter, Penske Truck Leasing, Fifth Third Bancorp, CareerBuilder and

others sought veterans to fill such positions as IT managers, engineers, accountants,

mechanics, customer service representatives and salespeople. Veterans also received resume

writing assistance, a free professional headshot photo, and information about educational

opportunities at local colleges and trade schools.

This day of respect and recognition for area veterans, active duty military, reservists and military

families was the finale of the Bank’s year-round, comprehensive commitment to meet the needs

of veterans and other members of the communities it serves. Throughout the year, the Bank

participated in a number of volunteer and philanthropic efforts, with the following impressive

results:

-more-

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Fifth Third Bank/ Veterans Campaign Results/ Add One

Fifth Third Bank employees and branches throughout the Chicagoland market spent weeks

raising $100,000 for the Folds of Honor Foundation. That nonprofit provides scholarships to

spouses and children of those killed or disabled in service. Fifth Third Bank has donated close to

half a million dollars to Folds of Honor since 2011.

Bank employees joined the Naperville-based, all-volunteer nonprofit, Operation Support Our

Troops, in staffing “Shop & Drop” locations inside suburban Chicago Jewel-Osco and northwest

Indiana Strack & Van Till grocery stores on “Make a Difference Day” (October 25). Those

volunteers raised 7,000 lbs. of items for holiday care packages being shipped to local soldiers

serving overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Bank volunteers in Aurora traded their suits and ties for hammers and nails, when they

assisted the nonprofit, Rebuilding Together Aurora, in repairing and remodeling the

home of an elderly, disabled Vietnam veteran and his wife. 72-year-old Julio Plata was

extremely grateful to receive the free home improvements, which included a new, ADA-

accessible bathroom and ADA-compliant home entrance.

In October and November, Fifth Third Bank made arrangements with The Anti-Cruelty

Society of Chicago and Noah’s Ark Pet Sanctuary in Rockford, in order for area veterans

to adopt pets for free. About a dozen veterans found new, four-legged friends because

of this adoption initiative.

“The entire Fifth Third Bank family is proud to have profoundly impacted the future of so many

area men, women and families who have made sacrifices to protect our freedoms,” said Robert

A. Sullivan, president & CEO, Fifth Third Bank (Chicago).

To learn more about the Bank’s veterans' initiative, please see Fifth Third Bank's Corporate

Social Responsibility Report.

About Fifth Third Bank: Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $134 billion in assets and operates 15 affiliates with 1,308 full-service Banking Centers, including 102 Bank Mart® locations, most open seven days a week, inside select grocery stores and 2,639 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 22.8% interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of September 30, 2014, had $303 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $26 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Member FDIC

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(“Voice of the People” Op-Ed Published in Chicago Tribune – July, 2012 – Written by Jon Kaplan)

Changing Bond Court

We applaud Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for taking a step in the right

direction by releasing a report detailing new initiatives to reform the bond court system (“Cook

County looking at bond court changes," July 12).

Those of us who work to break the cycle of crime and detention that destroys people’s lives and

destabilizes communities are deeply encouraged, especially when all stakeholders involved with

the report agree that we can do better.

We’re pleased that the County has identified effective ways to spend less of its budget on

incarceration, and more on properly assessing and supporting those who could return to their

families and communities at little to no risk to overall public safety.

According to the report released yesterday by the Justice Advisory Council, it’s estimated that

900 inmates out of the 9,400 currently incarcerated are non-violent offenders with low bonds,

yet they cannot afford to post bail or don’t have a residence, making them ineligible for home

monitoring.

Under this new proposal, the county will save money—an estimated $143 per prisoner per

day—and free up jail space by releasing low-level inmates who currently must remain

incarcerated if they are unable to post the required bond money. And—most importantly—this

cost saving will come at very low risk to the safety of our communities.

Through home monitoring, these low-risk defendants can continue to work, help their families

or attend school. They can participate in critical out patient, community-based programs that

successfully treat drug and alcohol addiction and are proven to reducing the overall recidivism

rate. Rather than waiting idle for their trial at the Cook County Jail, they’ll have access to

services that will provide them with the skills necessary to become law-abiding contributors to

society.

Rather than sitting in jail at taxpayer expense, our hope is that many low-risk defendants will

be returned to their communities and provided services that will allow them to make better life

choices, rebuild their families, improve their communities, and become productive citizens.

When that happens, we all benefit.

Diane Williams Pamela Rodriguez President President Safer Foundation TASC, Inc.

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(Safer Foundation - Angela Lynn Feature Article for Chicago Transit Authority Newsletter – Written by Jon Kaplan / May 23, 2012)

ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO A BETTER LIFE

Safer Foundation client making the most of her opportunities with the CTA

By Jon Kaplan The journey to our dream can take unexpected turns. It did for Angela Lynn. As a child, Angela spent many happy hours riding Chicago Transit Authority buses. Her aunt usually drove the bus. Angela remembers dressing up in her aunt’s uniform, looking in the mirror and dreaming that, one day, she could work for the CTA too. But, Angela’s childhood in the Roseland neighborhood was anything but cheerful. “My mother and father were dysfunctional,” says Angela. “They used drugs and alcohol and abused me. I was taken away by the Department of Children and Family Services.” “I was on the streets since I was eleven and in foster homes. I was using drugs at an early age – first drinking, then marijuana, then cocaine. I was on coke for seven years and it almost destroyed me.” Angela’s poor decisions led to her arrest in 1999 on a charge of “delivery of a controlled substance” to an undercover police officer. By then, Angela was also a single mother. Since this was her first offense, a judge sentenced Angela to probation rather than prison. “He said if I showed up in his court again, that was it,” she remembers. Angela vowed to turn her life around. She knew a life of drugs was a dead end. “My child doesn’t deserve a crackhead mother, so let me get my life together. Let me do better for my son,” says Angela, with determination in her voice. But, Angela soon encountered two realities that are all too common for men and women with a record. It’s difficult to stop using drugs on your own. It’s even tougher to get a job in Illinois with a felony conviction. “I stopped using coke in 2003, but I kept smoking pot. I couldn’t keep a job because employers would see I was high. And you can’t lie on your job application because you can’t keep a job if you lie and they find out. But, you can’t get a job if they see you have a felony.”

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On the Right Track // Add one Frustrated, and losing hope, Angela turned to the church. She started visiting Burnside Community Baptist Church on East 91st Place. One Sunday, she gave her testimony, coming clean about the poor choices she made, the challenges she encountered, and the difficulties she now faced. That testimony, her honest evaluation of the life she had led, and her plea for help were a turning point in Angela’s life. In the audience on that fateful day was Safer Foundation Retention Specialist Regina Murphy. Murphy offered Angela renewed hope and a path to a better future. “She approached me and told me if I was serious about employment I should show up at 7 a.m. at Safer with my photo ID. I knew I had to do that,” recalls Angela. “I went through intake, various tests, got into the ‘This Blunt’s Not for You’ Program, got clean, and got help.” Angela worked hard, gave up drugs in October of 2010, and landed in Safer’s Pivotal Staffing program. Her hard work and great attitude with Safer’s Neighborhood Cleanup crew helped win her the chance of a lifetime. “I got a job with the CTA. I’m a car servicer, cleaning the inside of the trains. Working for the CTA is a dream job. It’s a 9-month apprenticeship that started October 22, 2011. It might lead to a permanent position, but there’s no guarantee. I love the CTA. I want to continue.” The CTA offers jobs to approximately 20 of the top workers out of the 150 in the apprenticeship program. Angela knows the competition is tough. But, she continues to score top marks for her work, and has a perfect attendance record. “You have to think of the people after you needing an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. I don’t want to mess this up for people after me.” Angela has not only survived, she’s thrived. She’s setting an example for her teenage son. The 16-year-old is an honor student at Al Raby High School and has stayed out of trouble. They recently moved into a new home near Rosedale. Each night, as Angela Lynn enthusiastically shows up for work at the CTA, she thanks the Safer Foundation for giving her a second chance, and God for giving her hope. “I was determined this is what I want to do. You just have to have a higher power, believe in yourself, keep walking towards your goal and it’ll happen for you. All things are possible. This is a dream come true.”

###

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( Freelance article for United Methodist Reporter magazine – written by Jon Kaplan /

December, 2010)

Penny Project Uses Pocket Change to Enact Change

By Jon Kaplan

December 2, 2010

If you ever thought your pocket change was merely an annoying collection of coins with little value,

you’re not alone. 14-year-old Jamie Hinz used to think the same thing. Then, she and members of her

youth group at First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Michigan, learned that a few pennies can

profoundly change lives, especially the lives of people in Africa infected with HIV/AIDS.

“A penny is worth a lot,” says Hinz. “When I see a penny in the street, I pick it up. When I see a dime, I

pick it up. Because a dime is ten people in Africa, a penny is a whole person in Africa.”

Hinz learned those lessons thanks to a church outreach mission called, “The Penny Project.” That’s what

the youth named their ambitious effort to raise 23 million pennies, to symbolically represent the 23

million people in sub-Saharan Africa with HIV/AIDS. The teens hoped that reaching their goal could

provide them with enough money to help at least a few of those people half a world away.

“We never really thought of change as anything more than just something we longed to get rid of,”

explains 16-year-old Mallory Hinz, another youth group member. “But when you see it all together and

you see just how much money we raised just by a penny and you count it as a person, you can really see

how much of a difference it can make.”

The 23-million penny goal grew out of nothing more than a conversation between youth group leaders,

while enjoying pizza and coke at their pastor’s home in the summer of 2005.

“We say it’s the day that God showed up in my dining room,” remembers Associate Pastor Jeff

Nelson. “We were talking about what they may like to do for the year. One of the kids had an

idea of really making a difference.”

Rather than hold bake sales, rake leaves, organize car washes or do cleanup chores for elderly neighbors,

the youth had more idealistic thoughts. It was the summer of the Live AIDS Concerts, with rock stars like

Bono explaining how charitable donations could save lives. Nelson recalls that during the conversation,

someone in the group had an epiphany.

“Somebody at the table pulled out a penny and said, ‘here’s how we can make a difference in a

problem so big. What if we view each penny as a single person with AIDS?’ We never looked at

a penny the same way again,” says Nelson.

“The next thing you know, the kids reached into their pockets, threw about $4 of spare change on

the table that day and that’s how ‘The Penny Project’ was born,” according to Nelson.

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Penny Project // Add One

That modest beginning has reaped big bucks and made an even bigger difference. During the past three

years, the youth have collected copper coins in bags, boxes and jars, not just from their own church

members, but from groups and congregations of all faiths and from all parts of the country who heard

about “The Penny Project.”

As one of their fund-raisers for the project, the youth sold luminaries this Thanksgiving, so people could

light the lawn of their church. “Those lights remind us to keep the light on, keep the light burning, the

light of hope,” explains Nelson.

To see firsthand how to best spend the money raised by “The Penny Project,” many members of the youth

group visited Ghana in the summer of 2007. Africa has 12 million AIDS orphans and the teens were

moved by the children they met at one such orphanage.

“It was probably the best experience of my life. Just going there. We played with the kids at the

orphanage and it was joyful and heart-breaking,” says 19-year-old Emily Reynolds, co-founder of “The

Penny Project.”

The teens also helped a group of HIV-infected women start a small sewing business to support their

families. They even donated money to fund scholarships at Africa University in Zimbabwe, the first

United Methodist Church-related university on the continent.

“We gave $10,000 to Africa University, which put ten students full-time into their medical school

program,” remembers Nelson. “They’ll be on the front lines in community health of their communities

because of these kids’ pennies.”

The success of the sewing project led the teens to the idea of “micro-lending” or giving the seed money

for loans that can be awarded, repaid, then re-awarded to a new group. The youth group donated $150,000

to Opportunity International, a non-profit microfinance organization. The money will provide small loans

and business training to AIDS victims in Ghana and thus, according to Pastor Nelson, transform lives.

“They’ve impacted generations beyond themselves. It’s been a pretty remarkable, remarkable thing.”

“The Penny Project” also proves that anyone, no matter how rich or poor, can use pocket change to enact

real change.

“Everybody’s got a penny. Everybody’s got a penny,” stresses Nelson. “The secret to this project and its

success is that there isn’t a single person who can’t contribute to the success of this and change lives.”

Change worth a pretty penny… and then some!

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