Northbrook, IL – Stranger Leaves Pushkah with $800 Gold Coin for School

Northbrook, IL – Gold coins often show up in Salvation Army kettles this time of year, but an anonymous donor left a 1-ounce gold coin in a pushkah can of change at a Keshet School office in Northbrook.

Natalie Penner, a volunteer at the Jewish day school for children with disabilities, said she found a Keshet fundraising pushkah wedged between the doors at the financial office.
Opening the pushkah — one of many distributed during the school's annual fundraiser — she said she was surprised to find the gold coin sitting atop about $30 in change. A coin dealer valued the piece at $800, she said.

"We're very excited," she said. "It's a wonderful way to start the new year."
The money will go toward helping needy children throughout the school year, she said. [chicagotribune]