- Friday 10 September 2010
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Old coins, banknotes, foreign currency wanted for kids
INGLEWOOD Lions members, president Graham Dodunski (left) and publicity officer Pat Julian, with some of the old coins and notes being collected to benefit young people.
NEW Zealand Lions Clubs have come up with a blindingly simple campaign to collect old coins and banknotes, foreign currency and hoarded loose change for the benefit of young New Zealanders.
The campaign is being called Heads Up for Kids—Give your Old Money New Value.
Inglewood Lions president Graham Dodunski and publicity officer Pat Julian said the Reserve Bank estimates there’s more than $80 million of pennies, shillings and pounds, old decimal coins and banknotes sitting around in drawers or cupboards in households throughout New Zealand.
Lions clubs all round Taranaki, and New Zealand will be collecting over 10 days, from July 10 to 26.
New Zealanders also have a tendency to hoard current coins and the Reserve Bank would like to see an estimated $36 million back in circulation to avoid incurring unnecessary costs of minting new additional money.
“In addition there must be tens of millions of dollars in foreign coins and banknotes that find their way back to New Zealand,” said the Lions.
They want New Zealanders to dig it out to so Lions can give it away to organisations and charities that support young people.
The old decimal money that is no longer legal tender, will be redeemed at the Reserve Bank, and when the foreign currency is sorted it the Lions have identified a buyer who will pay 75 percent of its face value.
Lions have teamed up with Resene, which is offering its nationwide chain of Resene ColorShops as collection centres and will help promote the appeal.
In Inglewood the money will be collected at the Fun Ho Toy Museum.
The Stratford drop off point will be Stratford Paper Plus and Eltham donations can be left at BP, TSB Bank, Inflame Café or Eltham 4 Square.
The clubs have a target they would like to raise of $1.8million.
In New Zealand 11,500 Lions from 400 clubs throughout the country run programmes for young ambassadors, international youth exchanges, speechmaker contests and in primary schools they sponsor the internationally acclaimed Lions Quest programme.
There are 11,642 teachers from 1550 schools who have been through the Lions Quest training and reaching over 250,000 students.
Money will go to these programmes and to outdoor education programmes that Lions already support, such as Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Spirit of Adventure and Outward Bound.”
Outdoor education introduces young people to the great New Zealand outdoors and in many cases offer life changing experiences that will remain as lifelong influences.
