By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Mt Laurel Elementary School (MLES) PTO is hosting its second annual Coin Drive to help raise money for school related projects. The event started Monday, Aug. 22 and is continuing through Friday, Aug. 25.

Last year the Coin Drive raised $22,000 for the school, while at the time the PTO’s goal was to only raise $8,000. This year they decided to heighten their expectations and set a goal of $15,000 and as of Wednesday, Aug. 25 they had received $3,900 in coins.

“We’ve had great participation and great money amounts coming in so far this week,” said PTO President Tara Walker. “We are a little behind where we were last year at this point, but so far it has still been a huge success for us and the school.”

Each day of the coin drive has its own theme, which started Monday with pajama’s for pennies and continued Tuesday with neon for nickels, Wednesday with denim for dimes, Thursday with quarterback’s for quarters and Friday is cash and check day where they can wear crazy hats and socks.

Walker said that each day there is a class competition between all grades and each grade level has a winner of the day from the class that donates the most coins. In return the winning classes receive a different prize each day.

Monday the winning class won a free popcorn and pajama day in Sept., Tuesday was a special lunch on the stage in the lunchroom; Wednesday was extra recess day and Thursday each class wins a fast pass for the Renaissance faire on Sept. 30, which will gain them access to the front of the line at all games and rides during the event.

“This event gives the kids a sense of ownership of the school,” Walker said. “A lot of these kids are bringing their own money that they have saved in their piggy banks. That really makes a difference and gives them a bigger sense of pride and ownership.”

On Monday and Tuesday, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., The Boot in Brook Highland hosted a “kick off the coin drive,” where 20 percent of all food sales went to MLES.

“It was just really kind of them to give us a percentage of their food sales and we had a really nice turnout,” Walker said. “Especially since we are always hitting people up for money, it’s just nice to see that they want to help us support the school.”

Walker said there are several things the coin drive is meant to raise money for, which include three things right now.

At the top of that list is paying part of Candy Cooley’s salary. Cooley is being hired as the schools reading interventionist.

“She is coming in as a part time employee to help all of the kids with get their reading level up to par or above par,” Walker said.

Another thing she said the money would go toward is a science lab so teachers could have a place to take their students and conduct science experiments.

The last thing she mentioned the fundraiser would help fund were new carts to hold all of the Chromebooks in the school, saying the goal would be to have a cart to hold each grade levels.

The coin drive will conclude on Friday, Aug. 26 with an assembly at the end of crazy cash day. During the assembly, Walker said there would be a gumball machine filled with gumballs and any student that brings $50 will get the chance to guess how many gumballs are in the machine. The one that comes closest will win a Chromebook for their own personal use.

“I know parents feel bombarded at the beginning of the year being asked to donate money all the time, but this is a fundraiser where 100 percent of the money stays at this school,” Walker said. “This school wouldn’t be as wonderful as it is without the parents help. We really do have a lot of great parents and kids here.”