Students at North Fayette Elementary are helping one of their classmates fight against cancer as they raise money for research and education one penny at a time.

Throughout October, students donated their pennies and other spare change to the Pennies for Patients campaign benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The school decided to set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1,000 but surpassed it by collecting a total of $1,268.87.

“The students became very passionate about this cause when they learned that one of the school’s students had been diagnosed with cancer. All of the pennies really added up,” says school counselor Heather Sherwood.

The students learned that even a small effort could make a difference in the lives of others. The money they raised will be used by the society to research cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, as well as fund programs to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.