Taking Care of the Pennies

“Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves,” was one of Dad’s favorite expressions. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, thrifty (I attribute this aspect of his character to the Fraser strain in the family. Or perhaps it was growing up when times were a bit tough. Or maybe the War. Or something. Anyway, he was thrifty).

So I enjoyed this report about Young S. New, a Canadian immigrant from Korea, who took his own father’s advice (“respect the penny”), and has picked up hundreds of dollars in loose change he’s found lying on the city streets of Montreal and donated it to charity (“see a penny, pick it up, and all the day you’ll have good luck.”)

Ah, the power of a good example:

New’s labor of love has spurred other young people in the city to join him in his treasure hunt for coins on the street so they can donate them to charities of their own choosing. He was also given the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 as a means of thanking him for his volunteer efforts – but he only hopes that his recognition will inspire people to take better care of their coins.

Just a small thing. But a nice thing on this snowy Pennsylvania Sunday morning. Have a great day, everyone!