"Penny War" among students raises thousands for veterans

RACINE (WITI) -- More than 200,000 pennies. That weighs more than 1,300 pounds and can buy quite a bit. Who collected those coins -- and what were they planning to do with them?

Students at Walden III Middle and High School in Racine are at the center of this story. They held a "Penny War" competition. For nine days straight, the students looked for pennies everywhere -- under couch cushions, on the ground, anywhere.

Once all the coins were tallied, they found out they raised $2,255. All that came from just 525 students.

Half of that sum is going to be donated to The Wounded Warriors Project -- the other half to the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. The monies raised will help send World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. -- a trip that costs a pretty penny.