FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Nearly 90 pounds of foreign coins collected from Fort Wayne parking meters over two decades are headed into a charitable program benefiting children worldwide, after an original WANE 15 report connected the city with American Airlines and UNICEF.
American Airlines representatives flew to Fort Wayne International Airport Tuesday to pick up approximately 87 pounds of foreign currency that had accumulated in the office of City Clerk John McGauley. The coins will go through the airline’s Change for Good program, which supports UNICEF’s work providing essential services to children in need.
The collection includes currency from countries across the globe, coins dating back to the 1800s and non-currency tokens, including some from the Fort Wayne Zoo. Among the currencies identified were coins from Ghana, Barbados, Jamaica, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and the Philippines.
McGauley had been looking for a practical way to dispose of the foreign coins because banks generally would not accept them and currency exchanges primarily dealt with paper money. In an August report, WANE 15 highlighted his efforts to find a solution, drawing nearly half a million views across the station’s website and social media platforms.
The public response included suggestions to auction the collection, sell the coins by weight or exchange them. McGauley had also heard about a UNICEF-related program that could help return usable foreign currency to circulation, but he struggled to find the right contact to make it happen.
That changed after Chicago-based American Airlines flight attendant Kristine Albers received the WANE 15 story from a contact who knew about her own efforts to collect foreign currency for charity.
Albers had been exploring ways to involve her church in supporting UNICEF through foreign coin donations. She already had a colleague involved in American Airlines’ Change for Good program and began asking questions about how the airline handled donated currency.
Her church project grew after a member of its youth board suggested the idea as a service project for a young person. The effort collected enough foreign coins to fill more than one jar, and the project’s success prompted Albers to consider how much more could be accomplished if other people participated.
When someone connected to her church forwarded the Fort Wayne story, Albers passed it along to her colleague, who contacted McGauley. A series of emails eventually connected the city with the airline’s charitable program.
Albers told WANE 15 she believed the opportunity could extend well beyond Fort Wayne, potentially encouraging people to donate foreign coins that have been sitting unused in desk drawers, safekeeping boxes and other places.
McGauley said the arrangement accomplished what he had originally hoped to do: put the value of the foreign currency to use rather than leave it sitting in storage. He also suggested the collection would not be a one-time contribution, noting how quickly foreign coins can accumulate in city parking meters.
American Airlines’ Change for Good program allows travelers to donate leftover foreign currency after international trips. Passengers can hand their coins to participating flight attendants, known on international flights as Champions for Children.
Katy Phillips, American Airlines’ senior manager of partnerships and community, told WANE 15 the program has raised more than $18 million for UNICEF since 1994. The money supports services for children, including nutrition, medication and educational programs.
Phillips said she looked forward to continuing the partnership with Fort Wayne as more foreign coins find their way into the city’s parking meters.
The collection’s journey from local parking meters to an international charitable program began with a challenge familiar to many travelers: foreign coins that are difficult to exchange once they return home. In Fort Wayne, those coins accumulated for years before public attention and a connection to American Airlines helped turn them into a potential resource for children around the world.
