We find them on the street, throw them in a dish on our nightstand and lose them in couch cushions. Pennies; small, round, copper circles that do not seem to amount to much.

One committee in Fort Scott thinks differently. This team is banking on the power of the penny and the community.

The Youth Activities Team (YAT), the sixth team born of Fort Scott Community Visioning, presented a plan to the Fort Scott City Commission Tuesday to revamp Ellis Park.

Danny and Willa Ellis, local philanthropists, donated Ellis Park, located on 12th Street across from Fort Scott Middle School, to the City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County in the early 1980s. The land currently houses two baseball/softball fields and a soccer field.

In addition to the existing fields, the plan for the new park includes a miniature golf course, sand volleyball, batting cages, jogging/walking trail, picnic shelters, outside basketball courts and a playground area.

YAT, which was established in 2006 after the second Fort Scott Community Visioning community forum, conducted a random survey of middle school, high school and college age youth to learn what they could do to improve community activities for Fort Scott youth. The team also hosted the Back 2 School Party in August 2007. "From both of those we were able to pick up o some things that the youth in the community would love to see here," Paul Martin, Community Christian Church children's minister and YAT member said.

(Clockwise from upper left) Kyla Cook, Frank Adamson, Brandi Glessner, Courtland Franklin, Hunter Adamson and Jayden Franklin bring sacks of pennies to the Fort Scott City Commission meeting Tuesday night. The group brought 6,600 pennies to kick off a fundraiser to make significant improvements to Ellis Park. Tribune photo/Julie Righter

The plans for Ellis Park contain the top activities that the team received feedback on and felt were feasible, with the exception of a skate park, which YAT also has plans of pursuing.

With the results in, the team went to work and the pieces of the plan began to fall together.

Tom Robertson, Fort Scott Recreation Department director and YAT member, works with the youth activities at Ellis Park and knew there was undeveloped land available. Eric Bailey, City of Fort Scott Public Works director and YAT member, knew of the original 1983 drawing of the land from when the

Ellis' donated the land. David Irwin and Richard Zengre, local architects, worked on the original drawing. It seemed like the logical place for the park.

"We were just thinking about where we could have a family oriented place for the youth of our community to go," Martin said.

The location for the development was reinforced at the Fort Scott Community Visioning community forum in September 2007.

"People came to us at the community forum and discussed the east side," Diana Mitchell, Eye Center of Fort Scott office manager and YAT co-convener said. "We heard what they were telling us. We were listening. The visioning process did bring something out here."

YAT hired architect Rick Zengre to draw a proposal of the park.

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"We knew what we wanted, but when we actually saw it, it was like 'Oh my gosh, everything fits!'" Mitchell said.

"It was just a matter now that we know where to go, how do we pull this off?" Martin said. "Who do we meet with to make this happen?"

The team has completed a significant amount of background work on the project, meeting with people and organizations without unveiling the project to the community before meeting with the city commission.

Individuals, businesses and organizations already are agreeing to donate financial and in-kind resources to the project. "We have a lot of people who have stepped up behind the scenes," Mitchell said.

The project is estimated at $4 million. "It will be a $4 million park when we are done," Mitchell said. "But will it cost us $4 million? No."

The park will be built by fundraising, grants and financial and in-kind support from individuals and businesses. The project may be completed in phases if necessary. "We are not going to start it and let it die," Martin said.

However, the team still needed to raise seed money for the project. That's where the pennies come in.

YAT is going to raise 3.37 million pennies for the park. That is exactly how many pennies it takes to lay 40 miles of pennies and beat the current record in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The current world record for the longest chain of coins is 34.57 miles of coins in Malaysia.

From Monday, July 7 to Friday, July 11, YAT members and other volunteers will lay pennies, side by side, touching in a continuous chain in the Fort Scott Middle School parking lot. YAT needs approximately 14,000 square feet to lay 3.37 million pennies. A judge from the Guinness Book of World Records will be on site July 10-11 to adjudicate the process. They will announce on the spot if Fort Scott set the new world record.

YAT did not start out thinking they were going to build the park on pennies, but with the overwhelming support the team has experienced thus far, now they just may raise what they need. They do not plan to stop at 40 miles of pennies, nor are they stopping with just one world record. The second world record YAT intends to set is the fastest mile of pennies laid by eight people. The current record is 2 hours, 26 minutes and 7 seconds and was set in the United States in 2004.

YAT and "Pennies for the Park" will receive two weeks of publicity on the Guinness Book of World Records Web site, www.guinnessworldrecords. com. The team is looking to establish links to its Web site, www.YATfortscott.com, on sites of local businesses and organizations.

Besides raising money and establishing a claim to fame, YAT chose pennies for an important reason.

"Everybody in the community can be a part of it," Martin said. "Whether you want to write a check and we convert it to pennies or you are a two-year old, everyone can contribute. People can have ownership in it and say 'I helped build this.'"

Individuals, businesses and organizations stepped up at the commission meeting to make initial penny donations, including the Eye Center of Fort Scott and the Fort Scott Community Visioning Steering Committee. Donations totaled approximately $2,000.

Among those donating was Frank Adamson, owner of the Courtland Hotel and Aveda Day Spa, daughter, Hunter, 7, and grandchildren, Courtland Franklin, 8, and Jayden Franklin, 5. "We cashed in all of our change," Adamson said.

"We now have a 'Pennies for the Park' can at the spa counter. The kids all love this idea. Everyone in the community can participate. Even if you give a penny that you find laying on the ground, you can contribute."

That is the aspect YAT is going for. "I want it to bring the community together," Mitchell said. "How can a business coming to Fort Scott not be inspired when they look at Ellis Park and see that the community built this park? It shows that the community believes in itself. We can make Fort Scott what we want to make it. Turn the negative to positive."

Although there is still a lot of work to do, the team is anticipating the day the project is finished and they can step back with the rest of the community to view their hard work. "I will be overwhelmed," Mitchell said. "I am overwhelmed now. It's a positive turn and we really need a positive turn. Is this the new leaf that Fort Scott needs? Look at the power of what 9,000 people can do."

Dick Hedges, Fort Scott mayor, led the commission and audience in a round of applause for YAT and the project. "This is exciting and we appreciate all of the hard work," Hedges said. "We're looking forward to watching the pennies grow and watching the park be another asset to this community in addition to the things it has already brought to us."

Danny Ellis is enthusiastic about the plans for the park as well. "I was just tickled to death to see that we had someone like Diana to lead a group to get the park rejuvenated and get the things that should be out there," Ellis said. "They are not asking tax payers for something. It is a wide-open approach so anybody can participate in any amount they want to."

Members of the team include co-conveners Diana Mitchell, Eye Center of Fort Scott; and Clayton Tatro, Fort Scott Community College; Eric Bailey, City of Fort Scott; Amanda Johnson, The Keyhole; Mark McCully, Kansas National Guard; Larry Fink, Fort Scott High School; Kim Henry, Fort Scott High School student; Paul Martin, Community Christian Church; Tom Robertson, Fort Scott Recreation Department; and, Linda K. Stone, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program FEMA Region. Several fundraisers have been set to benefit "Pennies for the Park." Future fundraisers will be announced in local media.

To donate financially to the project, send a check to Fort Scott City Hall, 1 E. 3rd Street, made out to "Pennies for the Park" or donate by credit card at www.YATfortscott.com . Donations also can be made to penny cans at local businesses. YAT hopes to set up "Pennies for the Park" accounts in all Bourbon County banks. Donations do not have to be made in pennies. Pennies are being shipped to Fort Scott for the world record.

For more information on "Pennies for the Park" and other YAT projects, or to donate financial or in-kind resources, visit www.YATfortscott.com, e-mail youthactivitiesteam@gmail. com or contact any YAT member.

Got Any Spare Change?

Upcoming "Pennies for the Park" fundraising events:

March 27 - YAT Hosting Chamber Coffee, FSCC, Heritage Room, 8 a.m.

April 1 - McPenny Park Night, McDonald's, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 20% of all proceeds go to Pennies for the Park.

April 12 - City Wide Garage Sale, Buck Run Community Center parking lot. Bring items for donations Friday afternoon or evening to Buck Run old gym for sorting and pricing.

May 4 - "Beauty & the Beast" by Paul Mesner Puppets, Liberty Theatre, 3 p.m.

May 22-23 - Radio-a-thon, KOMB (103.9 FM) and KMDO (1600 AM).