Brookline Students Raise $655 For Westmoreland County Tornado Victims

A penny earned can be a penny saved. A penny collected for charity can be the start of something generous and helpful.

Students at recently donated $655 for Westmoreland County tornado victims during one of their ongoing penny drives.

“We chose the tornado victims because they were the ones who had the hardest time around here,” said Joey Walz, an eighth-grader and student council member. “And even if it’s just pennies, it adds up and can make a difference.”

The student council organized the drive, one of several held throughout the year.

Students donated money themselves and collected from friends and family during the drive.

“A lot of kids actually poured everything out of their piggy banks,” said council member Alivia Martin.

The students didn’t view their generosity as depriving themselves of spending money, but rather as a lesson in compassion.

“We shouldn’t be spending money on ourselves if people are having a more difficult time,” Walz said.

The students said the tsunami in Japan also opened their eyes to the devastation natural disasters can cause, no matter how far or near.

Jaiva Smithson, another student council member, said such events make one wonder what it would be like to be in the victims’ situation.

Diane Swearingen, the student council advisor, said the money was offered to radio station Star 100.7, which was collecting for the Westmoreland County Red Cross. 

Students are now collecting money for a 10-year-old girl who was injured in a snowmobile accident. The insurance was capped because she was on a recreational vehicle, according to Swearingen.