Donations are a must for certain organizations hoping to survive.

Mothers on a Mission Inc., a family driven organization that responds to the needs of families raising a family member or members with a disability, is no exception. That is why the Berwyn-based group was pleased to receive a check for $202 from the North Berwyn Park District preschool classes last month, according to Cathy Bedard, founder of MOM Inc.

“We think Cathy Bedard is an amazing woman,” said Leslie Zizumbo, program supervisor at the park district. “She has three children with developmental disabilities herself and since this organization does benefit children in our community, we decided to give the donation to her organization since we wanted to donate to a charity in Berwyn. After looking into some organizations we decided to go with Mothers on a Mission.”

Students in all the preschool classes run through the park district brought in their loose change during the month of December.

“In high school we would compete with other grades to see who could raise more money for their class,” Zizumbo said. “Eventually every class would use this towards their proms. I wanted to get our kids involved in doing something for others during the holidays so we started a food drive and donated the food to our local food pantry, the Anti-Hunger Foundation. Then I thought it would be a great idea for preschool to have a penny war. That’s what we called it in high school, but we called theirs ‘Pennies from Heaven.’ Every class had their own penny jar and the kids brought pennies in throughout the month of December.”

A flyer was sent home to the parents, and the teachers carefully explained the fundraiser to the preschoolers. Every day children 3, 4 and 5 years old brought in pennies from their piggy banks, change they found beneath their couch cushions or money they earned doing chores and after a month the loose change added up to $202!

“It was a fun fundraiser and the kids really enjoyed it,” Zizumbo said. “The parents and our North Berwyn Park District teachers were very helpful in making it possible.”

“This was so sweet,” Bedard said after receiving the check from Zizumbo. “Aimee Sordelli, a Berwyn trustee, also donated her trustee paycheck to MOM Inc. twice. There really are some sweet, wonderful people in the world!”