September 5, 2006 > Fremont teens mark 9/11 anniversary

by Heidi Kuhn

Over 1,000 students, many of Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi descent will participate in a special assembly to honor the memory of those lost on 9/11, recognize the everyday heroic efforts of local police and fire departments and kick-off the annual Roots of Peace Penny Campaign to help kids in war-torn Afghanistan have safe schools and soccer fields. The event will occur at Thornton Junior High School, 4357 Thornton Avenue, Fremont, California, at 1:00 p.m. featuring a de-mining dog, fire trucks, police cars, and the Loomis Fargo armored truck that will safely deliver the pennies to heal the wounds of war in Afghanistan.

The Roots of Peace Penny Campaign has inspired thousands of American students and community members to collect over 10 million "pennies for peace" to protect lives and restore the hopes of future generations in war-torn countries. Afghanistan is among the most heavily mined countries in the world. According to the U.N., there are an estimated 60 landmine victims each month in Afghanistan alone-half of them are children. Every penny counts, as 100% of the donations have been put to use in Afghan projects that have cleared a dangerous minefield next to the Bajgah village school in the north, restored soccer fields on former mine fields at the boys' and girls' schools in Bagram and will build new classrooms at a tent school in Mir Bocha Kot.

The Penny Campaign is a student program of San Rafael-based Roots of Peace whose mission is to transform toxic minefields into thriving farmland and communities. The Penny Campaign was co-founded by Kyleigh Kuhn, Heidi Kuhn, and Cheryl Jennings.