MATTAWA — Most of you have heard that old adage: A penny saved is a penny earned.

Now you can add: a penny collected can lead to more than $3,000 in a short period of time.

Fifth-graders at Saddle Mountain Elementary proved that recently when their Pennies for Patients campaign raised $3,246 in 10 school days. The total was $500 more than last year.

“It is amazing how much money was collected in such a short amount of time,” SME Principal Sean Langdon said. “The biggest paper money collected was that of a $20 bill, which gives an insight to just how many coins were collected in total.”

“Most importantly,” Langdon added, “this experience helped students learn about the effects of cancer, and how a little pocket change can really add up to make a positive impact to our community.”

The Pennies for Patients campaign was also an effort to qualify students for We Day Seattle, which will be held in April. SME counselor Elizabeth Tapia and SME Dean of Students Joe Meyer led the way.

One of the requirements of being able to go to We Day is that students have to demonstrate how they have made a positive impact on the community.

Tapia helped the fifth-grade students achieve their goal of making a positive impact on the community with the Pennies for Patients Campaign.

The fifth-graders challenged SME students to give back to the community, in a big way. They took up the challenge and exceeded all expectations.