Ozaukee County Guide

"We made some money, but not nearly as much as we hoped," Coran said of their first attempt. The boys also tried selling Summerfest tickets as a fundraising tactic, but again did not see the level of success they wished for. "After experiencing a lot of failure, we needed to create a fundraising event that would truly raise a lot of money," Marcus said. Realizing that a dance could be the key to involving their peers and community in their fundraising efforts, Marcus and Coran planned an event called the "Spare Change Dance" at Mequon's Elite Sports Club and solicited local businesses for donations. "We wanted to do something much bigger, that involved kids our age around our area," Coran said. "We thought a dance would be something that could involve a lot of kids so that we could raise teens' awareness around our age who don't see homelessness very often." The third try was the charm for the team: They raised $15,000, more than all of their previous efforts combined. The boys view the event as a major success for their cause. "A dance was a fun way to raise awareness and money for the homeless in Milwaukee," Marcus said. But their efforts are still far from over. To reach their goal of $30,000 the boys still need another $10,000 in donations. While they say they don't have anything else planned yet, they added that there will certainly be more Spare Change events in the future. Looking back, the pair said their journey to help the Guest House and the men inside it has been unlike anything they ever imagined. "The Spare Change Campaign has created a truly life-changing experience for Jacob and I," Marcus said. "Going into the campaign, I had absolutely no idea what it would end up like. I didn't anticipate the multiple failures we would encounter, and the eventual success we would reach. The Spare Change Campaign made me realize, while it takes a little bit of work to create change in our community, the change is priceless." 2 • April 8, 2015 • Ozaukee County Guide 240146004 Or id "ETTENCOURT !CRES 13404 N. West Shoreland Drive | Mequon | 262.242.2514 Visit our greenhouse & see many orchids in full bloom. $ 10 each 236768004 Submitted photo Mequon teens Jake Coran, left, and Michael Marcus, not only serve food to the homeless patrons at the Guest House in Milwaukee, they started the Spare Change Campaign to raise money for construction of a new kitchen there. Michael Marcus and Jake Coran will soon have a Spare Change website that will allow interested parties to donate through the Internet. For now, donors can send a check to the Guest House with Spare Change Campaign in the memo and "Attn: Spare Change Campaign" on the envelope below the mailing address. Mail to Amy Rowell at the Guest House, 1216 N. 13th St., Milwaukee, WI 53205. How to help

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