BUFFALO, N.Y. — To Jonathan Roesser’s friends and family, he more commonly goes by another name.

“I call myself 'The Pennyman,'” he said. “I think that's a great name for me because my real name is Jonathan Roesser, but I like everyone to call me The Pennyman.”

What You Need To Know

  • Jonathan Roesser has been collecting pennies for more than a decade to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)

  • His goal this year was to raise $5,000 in pennies

  • Last year, LLS was able to give out over $2 million to patients and their families toward co-pay assistance

For over a decade, Roesser has been collecting pennies to donate to a cause that is near and dear to him.

“My friend, his name is Andrew and he passed away from leukemia," he said. "The last time I saw him was a little bit devastating to me, so that's why I want to keep going."

Now, with the help of his family and friends, he is one of the top contributors for Western New York’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night event, which aims to drive out the darkness of cancer.

“This past year, we were able to give out over $2 million to patients and their families toward co-pay assistance so these funds allocate and go right towards our patients who are currently seeking treatment,” said Tiffany Rollek, campaign development manager for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Western New York.

He's gathering up as many pennies as he can along the way.

“I get all of these pennies from family, friends, relatives, people,” he said. “We count them, we collect them.”

He may have lost a few along the way.

“When you put them in the rollers, they fall down and I will never grab them again,” he said.

With Roesser’s goal being to raise $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this year, the hardest part is obvious.

“The hardest part will be to take them to the bank,” he said. “Because these pennies are very heavy.”

Roesser’s favorite part, as he puts it, is "everything" — which makes this more than a hobby for The Pennyman.

“That's why I want to keep going, keep grinding, keep what I’m doing and I want to see the best I can to actually face this cancer of leukemia,” Roesser said.

And he plans to keep the pennies rolling.

“Roll pennies and making a difference with one penny at a time,” he said.