The Ross Medical Education Center campus in Roosevelt Park was able to donate over 1,000 pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan in Grand Rapids, MI. It was the first time that the campus had collected the pop tabs, but it definitely won’t be the last! The staff hung up fliers around the campus, letting students know what was being collected and how they could help, and the drive really took off. The campus had a box they wanted to fill, so they placed buckets in the break rooms and continuously emptied them into their box. With students bringing in tabs by the bag full, it didn’t take long for the campus to reach their goal.
The Ronald McDonald House opened in 1990 in Grand Rapids, MI. Their mission, according to their website, is “to provide a “Home Away From Home” for families of children and youth seeking medical treatment in our community.” In 2013, Muskegon, home of the Roosevelt Park campus, was the highest ranking county for family referrals. According to their website, their mission is “to provide a ‘home away from home’ for families of children and youth seeking medical or mental health treatment in our community.” In Muskegon alone, 58 families found that “home away from home” in 2013 thanks to the Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan. (http://www.rmhwesternmichigan.org/house-facts)
Ronald McDonald Houses collect pop tabs instead of entire aluminum cans because it’s more hygienic to store tabs than cans, and collection and storage is easier. The program is an easy way for people of all ages to support their area Ronald McDonald House. After the tabs are collected, Ronald McDonald House Chapter brings the collection to local recycling centers, where they are weighed to determine their value (values can vary significantly). The recycling center then sends the local Ronald McDonald House a check for the total value. Because the pop tab recycling translates directly into funds, those that donate are able to know they are making a real difference for local families and children. “It’s a really easy way to help. We just informed students, put buckets in the break rooms, and the students really did the rest,” said Kristen Reasoner, Office Assistant at the Roosevelt Park campus. “Everyone drinks soda, and all the students have to do is pop that tab off to help a family in crisis.”