During the month of May, Ross Medical Education Center’s Brighton campus participated in a collection drive for the long running “Tab Collection Program” of the local Ann Arbor Ronald McDonald House. Students, faculty, and staff on campus collected the tabs from the tops of their aluminum drink and food cans. People consistently came in with the tabs they had been collecting from their friends, families, and workplaces and proudly emptied their contributions into the big red collection jug. It was exciting to watch the container fill up more and more each day until they were finally ready to take it to the local Ronald McDonald House in Ann Arbor.
At first look, can tabs may seem like an odd choice for donation, but the “Tab Collection Program” has been wildly successful for Ronald McDonald Houses all over the world. When recycling them in bulk, their metal content is worth a significant amount of money. All of those funds then add up quickly to be a giant support for this international organization. In fact, since the start of the program, they’ve raised over 4 million dollars with aluminum tabs alone!
The Brighton campus was happy to contribute to such an important non-profit organization that has been helping to “create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children” for over 40 years. The Ann Arbor Ronald McDonald House operates 24 hours a day and employs the diligent efforts of over 100 volunteers. They aim to help 600 families every year, providing some support, solace, meals, and a roof over their heads. Their atmosphere gives families struggling with medical and financial problems a place to rest and connect with one another for support.
To find out how you can help contribute to their efforts and support families struggling with all of the circumstances surrounding childhood hospitalization, visit http://rmh-annarbor.org/how-you-can-help or find them on Facebook.