A penny may not seem like a lot of money, but it adds up.

Ask the students at Martin Middle School.

They recently launched a Pennies for Patients program to raise awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Money raised from the national program provides blood disease research, as well as programs for patients.

The students’ goal is to raise $1,000, and the fundraising effort began officially on Monday.

Of course, it’s not just pennies they are donating. Students can give nickels, dimes, quarters or dollars. And donors can even write checks if they’d like to help the students make the goal.

More than 35,000 cases of leukemia were diagnosed nationally in 2006.

Leukemia also makes up about 32 percent of all cancers in children, according to information from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

According to the society, the survival rate for those diagnosed with leukemia has tripled in the past 40 years.

There are currently more than 200,000 people in the United States living with leukemia.

We congratulate Martin Middle School students on their desire to make a difference. MMS is one of 127 schools throughout Alabama and the Florida Panhandle to participate in Pennies For Patients. Last year, 130 schools raised a record $98,000.

For more information, call (334) 872-6417 or e-mail .