penniesI've heard some pretty cool godparent traditions over the years. Buying the first pair of shoes. Buying the christening gown. Taking the kid to the water park so Mom can work (what, only my kid's godmother is doing that tomorrow?). And now a new one: one godmother saved up 500,000 pennies to give her goddaughter one amazing graduation gift.

For 15 years, ever since Kyla Gilbert was 3 years old, Faith Hammock has been picking up pennies and stowing them away to help pay a chunk of her goddaughter's college tuition. Just think about that for a minute.

That's a $5,000 gift! I didn't get that kind of gift from anyone when I graduated (not that I'm complaining, mind ... I recognize that most people I know are not in a financial position to have done that)! Paired with Kyla's scholarships, the 500,000 pennies are helping her cover pretty much all her tuition to Indiana University.

But this wasn't just a rich auntie scrawling her John Hancock on a check. Faith had to A. find all those pennies and B. save all those pennies. That took time, effort, and a lot of caring. And that, more than anything, is the key to the good godparent.

That's rare these days. How often do parents pick someone they think will be in their child's life forever, only to have them drift away in just a few years? I know my godfather hasn't spoken to me since I was probably 7 or 8. One who is still around in the teen years? And actually an active presence in the child's life? She's pretty much unheard of ... and worth her weight in, well, pennies let's just say. Check out the story:

What is the coolest thing your kid's godparent has done?



Image via beigealert/Flickr