My name is Emma Star Stephens, I am in 2nd Grade at Wrights Mill Road and I am 8 years old.  Last year my mommy had cancer and it made me very sad.  I am a very lucky little girl because my mom survived – she survived the fight against cancer.

I am starting a campaign to collect pennies to help The American Cancer Society to research and find a cure for cancer.  My goal is to collect enough pennies so that I can donate $500 to this year’s Relay for Life.  It is my hope that people who know me and my family will find it fun to look around their house, look in their cars, at their work places and gather up all the pennies they can find.  Then they can email me at .  I can then combine their pennies, with other people’s pennies and hopefully raise lots of money for cancer research.

It seems that everyone has pennies.  In their houses, drawers, jars, purses, pockets, cars, wallets, jewelry boxes, dressers, couches and lots of other places.  Pennies just laying around.  Well I want to make those pennies useful.  I want to make sure that my mommy does not get cancer again.  To make sure that no girl or boy has to see their parents go through cancer. 

I want to make a difference.  I want to help beat cancer.  I am so excited about all of the people who have helped so far.  But I still have a long way to go.  I will be collecting “Pennies for a Cure” from now until early May 2009.  It is my hope and my wish that I could go to this year’s Lee County Relay for Life and go up on stage and present Ms Heather from the Cancer Society a big check…. One with lots of zeros on it. 

We have pennies everywhere at my house.  I invite you to bring yours to join in the fun. This “Pennies for a Cure” campaign has showed me how much people care.  How much they care for me and my family.  All of these pennies will do an amazing job.  These pennies will go on to help change lives.  Just think – we can help beat cancer literally one penny at a time.

Bring your Pennies
to The Opelika-
Auburn News, 2901 Society Hill Road.