Central Key Club uses homecoming week to raise funds for Make a Wish

Central High School students entered their homecoming assembly Friday afternoon with anticipation to see who would get a pie to the face.

The pies flew as a result of a Key Club fund raiser for the Make a Wish Foundation.

The club held a penny war at the school throughout last week. The students had five jars in the main lobby during lunch hour. Students and staff could walk up to put money in jars -- one for each class and one for the staff.

The idea is that people donate money for the foundation. Only the pennies count and all other money, from nickels to dollars and larger bills are subtracted from the total number of pennies.

Every jar ends with a negative total, but the team with the smallest negative penny total is the winner and gets to throw the pies, said Nick Pascuzzi, Key Club publicist and Make a Wish ambassador.

The juniors won the competition, and three lucky juniors got to pick between eight willing faculty members to pie at the assembly Friday.

The Key Club raised $1,300 with its penny war in four days. Proceeds from this year's Central homecoming dance Friday night also went toward the club's Make a Wish fund.

Pascuzzi encouraged his fellow Key Club members to raise money for the foundation.

Pascuzzi received a trumpet and accessories from the foundation in 2004 after being diagnosed with an immune deficiency in 2002 that made him eligible for the program.

This summer, Pascuzzi became an ambassador for the program in Duluth. He's been involved with the Stories of Light radio-a-thon and the Cold Stone Creamery Largest Ice Cream Social, held Friday evening, which both are raising funds for Make a Wish.

The Key Club was inspired by Pascuzzi to make Make a Wish its pet project this year. The club is hoping to raise enough money to sponsor one child through this event and others throughout the year, said Deb Wendling, Key Club adviser.

The Key Club also raises funds for other causes and holds a blood drive at the school each year, she said.

"The kids (are) responding to it," Wendling said of the Make a Wish cause. "Kids can relate to it because it's kids helping kids."

Key Club members aren't the only ones who responded to the penny war.

The club raised $80 the first day and almost $300 by Tuesday and the donations just kept coming in Wednesday and Thursday.

"I thought it would be kind of corny, and it's working really well," Pascuzzi said.

The club has done penny drives in the past with limited success. The competitive edge of this competition is the drive behind this campaign's success, he said.

Junior Matt Roberts put a dollar into the freshman jar Wednesday afternoon to sabotage the underclassmen.

"It's a competition," Roberts said. "I had an extra dollar. I thought I'd donate it to a good cause."

Juniors Jennifer Byers and Amanda Schlies also donated money in the freshman jar.

"We want to see them lose," Schlies said. "We want to see their downfall."

The jars were counted and totaled each day. And the standings were read over the announcements each morning.

All of the students were out to get the staff, who were in the lead as of Wednesday or the freshmen, who were in second place, Wendling said.

As a staff member, she wasn't concerned.

"I think it's awesome," Wendling said of the fund raiser. "I told the kids to find faculty who'd be the least likely to do it, because that would be more of a big deal."

Anyone who would like to make a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation may visit the foundation's Web site at http://www.wish.org or call (866) 571-9474.