"It’s empty!” said Spokane Junior Academy (SJA) first-grader Morgan Stanyer, peering into her little purse. She poured out change and a dollar bill on the office counter. Counting $2.71, Kathy Craft, school office administrator, asked, “Morgan, why did you bring your money here?” “I want a new school,” answered the first-grader.
Morgan’s unselfish contribution was reported to the capital campaign cabinet that evening. Her father and grandfather were at the meeting. Morgan's story rapidly reached the ears of her grandmother, Phyllis Stanyer, who came up with an idea.
Stanyer developed “Trash Your Cash,” a way of giving children a part to play in fundraising for their new school. Small trash cans were distributed to each classroom. Teachers had a 10-day window to try out the program before spring break. The announced goal was $500.
On Friday, March 18, all classes marched into the SJA gym for a reporting assembly. Each class sent representatives forward, placed their heavy trash cans on the stage, and handed their counting sheets to upperclassmen who totaled the numbers on a board. The final tally was $2,258.93.
Fourth-grader Benjamin Fuller poured his jars of saved change, more than $100, into his class’s “trash” can. He and his brother Jonathan, a sixth-grader, told their visiting grandfather about “Trash Your Cash.” He donated substantially to each boy’s “trash” program.
The 39.2-acre school site is paid for, the well is drilled, and site development was scheduled to begin in May, reported Don Bryan, SJA principal.
From left: Brennan Stanyer, fifth grade; Morgan Stanyer, first grade; their grandmother, Phyllis Stanyer; and Braden Stanyer, third grade, deposit their cash for SJA's new school. (David Wallace)
