BERWICK -- Some kids in Columbia County are collecting thousands and thousands of pennies, hoping to bring back some summer fun in the Berwick area.
The kids are planning to repair and reopen the Ber Vaughn pool.
Penny by penny, containers on top of containers, kids from the Berwick Area School District are helping to bring back the Ber Vaughn pool in Columbia County. The pool at Ber Vaughn Park in Briar Creek Township never opened last summer.
"We needed to restore a lot of things and we just lacked the funding in the area to make that happen, so basically the council and the borough just decided to close it," said Kay German of Berwick Elks.
But now a penny drive started by the Berwick Elks and the United Way is raising money to repair the rundown pool near Berwick.
At 14th street elementary, they've already brought in more than 15,000 pennies.
"(I brought in) $13 dollars and 15," said first grader Alicia Mike.
Everyone is pitching in for the same reason.
"Because I wanted to fill up the Ber Vaughn Pool!"
"It's the children, they're building this pool. They're building this pool penny by penny,"said Cathy D'ambrosio of Berwick Elks.
Kids at the Berwick Area School District will need to collect one million pennies to reach their fundraising goal of $10,000. Folks organizing the penny drive don't think they'll disappoint.
"These children are going door to door asking their neighbors. They are checking the consoles of every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle in Berwick for any change they can get," D'ambrosio said.
The Berwick Elks say money from the penny drive will be a start toward the nearly $1 million cost of renovating the pool and that the children's energy will drive the rest of the project.
"If you've given ten cents or a dollar or twenty dollars, in their eyes, they've had a part in rebuilding this pool and that's very exciting for them," said Holly Morrison, 14th Street Elementary Principal.
The penny drive ends Friday. The community also hopes to get money from grants and sponsorships to bring back the pool with a big splash for summers to come.