Every Penny Counts and Anyone Can Make a Difference

Height notwithstanding, actor and director Robert Redford’s 5-foot, 10-inch frame sure made for a pretty penny at Primary Children’s Hospital. During what appears to be the 1970s or early ’80s, the Sundance Kid was photographed helping a child “measure up” to the challenge of Primary Children’s oldest fundraiser — Pennies by the Inch — to determine how much the boy would give to the hospital. The undated photo captures a time when Utah children, on their birthdays, were asked to give Primary Children’s one penny for every inch they were tall — and when celebrities, from entertainer Marie Osmond to towering former Gov. Scott Matheson​, joined the effort.

Pennies by the Inch is celebrating 95 years of measured success in its 2017 giving campaign, which runs from Aug. 1 – Sept. 1. With its historical roots, Pennies by the Inch is believed to be the longest-standing fundraising campaign in the state of Utah – and certainly as one of America’s oldest door-to-door fundraisers. With an updated look and new ways to give, Primary Children’s hopes to build upon the foundation that continues to uphold our nationally-ranked pediatric hospital in the years to come.

“Pennies by the Inch not only endeared generations of children to Primary Children’s Hospital, but helped to create lifelong stewards of the hospital,” says Janet DeWolfe, Regional Chief Development Officer at Primary Children’s. “This important part of our history is very much alive today ​and we’re excited to give it a fresh look and offer new ways for the community to engage with our efforts to provide outstanding care to all children, regardless of their ability to pay.”

The campaign began in the early 1900s as the “Penny Parade,” and later developed into Pennies by the Inch. Today, Pennies by the Inch is a million-dollar annual fundraiser, rooted in the concept that every penny counts, and that anyone can make a difference for children in their community. Now primarily a door-to-door fundraising campaign, more than 100 volunteers this year are expected to help raise funds in Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Wyoming neighborhoods. Some of the volunteers have been knocking on doors for Pennies by the Inch for more than 25 years.

Pennies by the Inch runs from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1. You can donate online or by calling (801) 662-5959.