Bellefonte Area Middle School earns award for supporting global education charity

Bellefonte Area Middle School was selected to receive the 2018 Peace Leader Awards for its effort in helping raise funds for Pennies for Peace — a global organization through the Central Asia Institute that encourages students in the United States to raise money to support educational projects in other countries. The Peace Leader Awards recognize students from around the country who have committed to a cause and have made a difference in the lives of others. Members of the student council lead the school in the Pennies for Peace challenge. The school held a drive that raised $292.56, in additional to $1,000 raised from the Snow Flake Dance, guidance clerk Kim Van Buskirk said. In an official letter to the school from CAI Development and Outreach Manager Janell Arneson, she said, “We are delighted that for the past two years, students at Bellefonte Middle School have joined us in your own Pennies for Peace campaign to bring cultural and philanthropic education to your school. … During their time with Pennies for Peace, your students have broadened their cultural horizons and come to understand their own capacity as philanthropists to impact the world by becoming active participants in a global community dedicated to peace.”