As 2014 gets into full swing, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s office is abuzz with some friendly competition in support of Team Fox. Spearheaded by Alison Urkowitz, Team Fox mentor and MJFF’s Vice President of Research Operations, the first annual all-staff Team Fox event has officially kicked off with a Penny War Challenge!
The competition began last week during the Foundation’s annual holiday party when four teams of 21 staff members were given twenty minutes to collectively name their teams, decorate their water jugs and begin strategizing. Check out the image gallery below to catch a glimpse of the fun that ensued!
While each penny war is uniquely structured, the premise of our staff competition is as follows:
- Teams will compete through the beginning of April to contribute the highest number of pennies in their jugs.
- While pennies each count as +1, any silver coins or dollar bills dropped into a competitor’s jug will equate a negative count for that team (I.e. 1 quarter = -25 and $1.00 = -100)!
- The team with the highest number—or in many cases, the team closest to a positive count if lots of paper money is included—at the end of the competition wins! At the conclusion of our challenge, all proceeds will be donated to Team Fox.
To add some extra fun, teams will also be able to earn bonus points through occasional weekly “Power Plays”. During such weeks, competition rules will be creatively bent—such as allowing bills over $10 to be played or having pennies earn two points each—to incentivize teams to get strategic with their contributions. While the competition is still in its early stages, stay tuned for fun updates on our progress!
Interested in joining in on the fun? Organize a Penny War in your school classroom or community! Email teamfox@michaeljfox.org for more information and a helpful step-by-step guide to get started.
