FERGUSON, MO ( KPLR )—
This story began when a Catholic sister in Ferguson Missouri searched for a way to raise money for her parish school and celebrate their 55th anniversary. They came up with the ideal of collecting nickels.That was back in September, but now, the story's ending is nothing short of incredible.
Sister Kathy Doherty a pastoral associate from Our Lady of Guadalupe said, "It was like, 'oh, my Gosh. This is a real miracle.' I mean, a whole mission moment."
That was Sister Kathy Doherty's reaction. She had just received $2,750 in nickels from little Sarah Ann Steibel. The 5-year-old was the real star at a morning mass. Her name was up in a thank you note on the inside of the school and on the marquee outside the church.
After seeing our story about the nickel collection on television, she decided to turn in nickels she had at her home in Red Bud, Illinois. Soon, her entire school, St. John The Baptist, was collecting the shiny tokens. Then, the entire town did, too.
Sarah Ann collected 55,000 nickels. She brought 18 of her school mates with her for the presentation. They carried in 10,000 thousand nickels and gave the rest to the school in a giant check
"Not only did they give in jars, but just businesses saved. It's amazing," said Nannie Steibel, Sarah Ann's mother.
The campaign in Red Bud spanned 55 days, to collect 55 thousand nickels, in a town precisely 55 miles away. It must be fate.
By the way, Sarah Ann's birthday is in March 5.
The Hilton Garden Inn is putting up Sarah and her family for the night. That's so they can attend the feast day of Guadalupe mass which begins at nine Saturday morning.
