Sample Letter to Congress
Don't forget to personalize your letter. It will be more effective.
If you are not sure of the name of your representative or senator, go to the website www.congress.org, enter your zipcode and you wil be given a list of your congressional representative and senators.
Sample for older children
Date:
Dear (name of your Representative or Senator)
We (name of school or group) have begun a Pennies for Peace campaign. The money will be raise will be donated to Pennies for Peace to promote and support community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia. Hundreds of schools and thousands of students have participated in Pennies for Peace in the past ten years.
As far back as 1970, the wealthiest countries in the world accepted a mandate that they would contribute 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) to foreign aid for impoverished countries. Currently only five nations meet this standard and, historically, the US government isn't even in the top ten. In 2006 it gave only 0.17%.
WWe want to live in a safe, peaceful world, and education is the key to this change. Please help us make this change today. In the next budget cycle, vote for a foreign aid budget of at least 0.7% of GNI. Please leave us, and your own children, a peaceful world. The penny we send you is the first step to peace. Please keep it in your pocket to remind you of our hope for peace.
Sincerely,
(Have all the students sign the letter.)
Attach a penny to your letter to serve as a reminder to your Representative or Senator and also tell them to visit www.penniesforpeace.org.
Bozeman, MT 59771