Coin collection pays off with rain forest donation The second-graders also brought a "garbage-free" lunch to celebrate Earth Day. BY TALI ISRAELI Correspondent HOWELL - Second-graders in Howell recently turned loose change into 7 acres of land in South America. After learning about the rain forest and celebrating Earth Day last month, pupils in the Adelphia School second-grade classes taught by Toni Ferrone, Debbie Long and Cindy Van Glahn decided to pitch in. The youngsters raised more than $330 in coins, which will be given to the Rainforest Alliance for the adoption of 7 acres of endangered land in South America. The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land use practices, business practices and consumer behaviors, according to the organization's Internet Web site. Through the Adopt-A-Rainforest program, individuals, school groups and other organizations can contribute funds to small conservation groups in tropical countries that work to stop rain forest destruction, according to the Web site. Donations support the purchase and sustainable management of tropical forest lands. The conservation projects the program is currently supporting are in Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Ferrone said the children would like to adopt 1 acre in each country, but she is not sure if that is possible. Pupils like Dominique Masia and Ally Jane McGowan said it was learning about the endangered animals and the trees being cut down in the rain forest that sparked this charitable act. Dominique said she wanted to help because the animals were dying and she and her classmates did not want the rain forest to be destroyed. "We're all excited that we're adopting a rain forest and helping it," she said. During the month of April the pupils learned about ways to help the planet, read several pieces of literature about the rain forest and were encouraged to recycle, according to Ferrone. On April 20 the three second-grade classes celebrated Earth Day with an Earth-friendly picnic in which the children brought "garbage-free" lunches. Ferrone said this included packing sandwiches in containers, using cloth napkins and bringing in water bottles or a thermos. "It was really exciting and fulfilling for me because it's an important [issue] to me, and I can't wait to do it again next year," Ferrone said about the students' coin collection.