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If you think you have an interesting "Today's Woman" topic, you can contact Candice Madsen at cmadsen@ksl.com. VERNAL -- Sherrie Christenson never passes up a penny on the street, and is now on a mission to help people recognize its power.
"One day I found a really old one next to a gas pump, and I just started thinking about who had the penny before me," recalled Christenson.
That little find inspired Christenson to find out more about the coin's history.
"There was a lot of excitement when the 1909 penny came out, and people did buy them and they would sell them, three for five cents, and it was a huge deal," she said.
One hundred years later, the U.S. Mint is releasing four new pennies honoring Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent.
Christenson decided to pay her own tribute to the penny through a book. "The Power of a Penny" follows one penny as it passes hands over the course of 100 years.
Christenson said, "In this day and age where everyone is counting pennies, it shows a penny can make a difference and you shouldn't underestimate the power of one penny."
A portion of the proceeds from the book will go to Koins for Kenya, an organization that offers educational opportunities where there are none.
"I wanted to write a book that would make a difference in a small way," Christenson said. "I'm a stay-at-home mom. It's not feasible for me to leave my kids and go to Africa and do these amazing things, but maybe in a small way I can do this."
