Preschoolers’ pennies become stuffed animals 

Several months ago, Mai Heide and Riley Moore, preschool students at Faith UMC, Austin, started a project to help others.
With the assistance of their mothers, they put penny-collection jars in each of the preschool classrooms. Their goal was to collect $100 to buy stuffed animals for EMS personnel to give to children in frightening situations.
The jars quickly filled, and the girls bought stuffed animals at Wal-Mart. The manager there added to the collection with all the stuffed animals the girls could crowd into a shopping cart. The total was more than 200.
EMS made a dramatic entrance to the preschool’s parking lot in the Star-Flight helicopter at 10 a.m. April 22 to receive the toys. Along with the helicopter came an ambulance, a police car and reporters from the Austin American Statesman and KXAN-TV.
The television reporter interviewed the girls for the nightly news. The video segment, which aired in May, showed the interview, a big pile of stuffed animals and children crawling through the helicopter.
How uplifting to know that even two small preschool children can make a difference in this world.
We rejoice at this wonderful mission outreach endeavor by our preschool students.