The volunteers pictured are, from top left, Hunter Rigdon, Shane Trivitt, Sean Rigdon, Lena Richardson, Tara Dragoo, and Devi Schwartz. From the bottom left are Morgan Gunnell, Carson Hearn, and Emma King. Volunteers not pictured are Stella Andersson, Maya Smith, Shelbilyn Beatty, and Colby Bera.
Carson Hearn | Special to The R-C
“See a penny, pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck,” the old saw says, but a team of residents are hoping to turn the coin featuring the Great Emancipator into a symbol of hope.
Douglas High School graduate and college student Lena Richardson and a team of volunteers are working on the Penny Project to help raise awareness for the Suicide Prevention Network.
They are placing baskets in local businesses featuring a card and a penny that Richardson hopes will brighten someone’s day.
“Finding a lucky penny makes you happy and brings a bit of joy,” Richardson said. “Every little bit helps. If you need some support or know someone who does, you can give it to them.”
Richardson came up with the idea when she was a senior at Douglas High in 2019.
“We want to turn the penny into a symbol of community support,” she said. “We want people to know that ‘someone out there’s thinking about me.’ That’s the idea behind it.
Richardson is attending the University of Arizona, and decided to resume her project while she is home for the summer.
While the definition of a lucky regarding pennies varies, including not picking up a penny that’s tails up, or that a lucky penny is one dated with your birth year, Richardson wants people to think of it as a sign of hope.
“One token of joy makes its way around the entire community,” she said in a YouTube video. “The littlest thing can change a person’s mood.”
Richardson thanked Miles Construction for sponsoring the project.
“They gave us money to do the project, so we didn’t have to use grant money,” she said.
A score of businesses are participating by hosting baskets.
For more information about the Penny Project, visit www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069462141956
The Suicide Prevention Network is hosting the third annual Andy’s Ride for Suicide Awareness Aug. 28 starting at the Pink House on Genoa Lane. To register, visit andysride2021.rsvpify.com
