http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/985 ... -diabetes/
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - A good portion of the donations that go to medical research foundations come in the form of checks. But the Mall of America is coming up with a unique way to donate money to JDRF, a diabetes research foundation.
MOA has collected all the pocket change that is tossed into the ponds at the Nickelodeon Universe and is donating those coins to JDRF.
"Everyone has tossed a coin in a fountain at some point in their life and made a wish or thrown it in there because they had spare change in their pocket," said Ross Marcus, the development manager of JDRF MinnDakotas. "Now the great thing is, all these wishes that people have made over the years are actually going to help grant wishes for people with diabetes."
According to MOA, more than 3200 pounds of change have been recovered from the ponds. One pound of "pond change" equals about $5. The lump sum would approximately be $16,000.
The ponds have existed since the early 1990's, meaning some of the change has been underwater for 22 years.
"We have to sort through the change. It's a long process. When the coins come out of the fountains, we actually hand-wash them, and then we strain them out. Then, they sit in a vinegar and salt bath overnight," explained Marcus. "We do have to separate out the coins that have been far too damaged by the water and are no longer useable."
Mall of America is also partnering up with JDRF this Saturday, February 22 for their Mall of America 2014 Walk to Cure Diabetes.
The event's registration start time is at 7:30 AM. The walk start time is at 8:30 AM. The length of the walk is one hour. If you would like to register, log on to the Walk at MOA website
