Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Wishing Well

We used to come home and cook; now we count coins. Well, we don't actually count them; we sort and wash them as the first part of the process of putting coins from the SMH wishing well (or fountain, to be exact) to good use.

SMH Foundation has long been receiving the coins retrieved from the lovely fountain at the Medical Office Building attached to SMH hospital. The SMH Foundation exists to help fund state-of-the-art medical care in the local community.While going through supplies that may be needed for the May 18 Rooftop Rendezvous "Beach Party Above the Boulevard" we came upon stashes of coins in several places. When asked about these bags of bucks, Jen Berger said, "We can't turn them in until they're washed." "Looks like a job for my favorite volunteer -- my husband!" I thought.

I should have had heavy duty shocks installed before loading all these coins in my car, but I did make it home without mishap. We stood at the sink for several hours, him sorting and me vinegar washing, rinsing, and drying assorted coinage from assorted countries. As I stood at the sink, I thought about all the people who must have stood at the fountain wishing that their loved one's cancer was cured or that the results of a PET scan or MRI would come back with good news.

Fifty pounds of pennies later, we're about a third of the way through the project, but we don't know if our bounty is clean enough for the coin counters. It's off to the bank with what we washed, so far. I certainly hope that this money can be put back into circulation; it may help somebody's wishes come true.