Patients in the pediatric unit playroom are now enjoying a new train table thanks to the work of More Sensible, an entrepreneurial mentor group for high schoolers.

Through the group’s A Million Pennies (AMP) project, they also recently hired Snow White to spend time with child life specialist Gina Sievert and patients as a special birthday present for Sievert, who approved the hospital’s partnership with AMP.

The AMP project is a charity for kids, created by kids. The group has been raising money, in the form of pennies, for Torrance Memorial’s pediatric unit over the last four months. After experiencing hospitalization themselves, the original members felt donating to the pediatric unit would be a great way to give back. Beginning with only four members, the group has blossomed into a 25-member organization.

The AMP project evolved from simply just collecting pennies from friends and family, into a focused and detailed operation. AMP has placed collection canisters in local businesses, hosted 10k Penny-A-Thons, and started a webpage for supporters to make a pledge. The group is also working towards picking up 25,000 pieces of trash from Hermosa Beach in a separate campaign called “Beach Heroes” to raise additional donations for AMP.

Guided by the adage “The beginning of wisdom is generosity,” AMP has chartered a course for change. As of today, AMP has nearly collected 100,000 pennies. This is no small feat, but as the name A Million Pennies implies, it’s only the beginning.