Success Stories
| Success Stories |
ver the years, we have been amazed at the creativity, ingenuity and enthusiasm shown by the many participants in The Great Aluminum Can RoundUp. Some groups have conducted RoundUps to earn funds for very worthy causes. For example:
n the first Wednesday of each month, Beech Elementary is buzzing with parents and students who are truly working to make our world a better place to live. From January 1 through September 25, 1995, they joined together to recycle 8,707 pounds of aluminum cans and raised $4,573.82 to purchase library books, computer equipment, a portable sound system, and seating for the new outdoor classroom. The "Beech Recycles" Can RoundUp is a monthly fundraiser held at the school where cans are dropped off and then taken to the recycling center by parents and grandparents.
The PTA Recycling Coordinator contacted local businesses to support Beech's recycling effort, and each donated incentive awards for those students who recycle. On "Can Day," every student who recycles receives some type of reward. The "big ticket" items such as stereos, CDs, cinema passes, etc. are given away to the top monthly recyclers.
Businesses are also saving their cans for weekly or monthly pick-up by students and their parents.
Our program is continuing to grow each year and the number of families and businesses who are participating grows. Those who recycle say they just can't stop picking up cans!
Project Enjoys Success
NEWARK, OH
ur project, Cans for Camp O'Bannon, was a big success, both in recycling and in building community spirit. Camp O'Bannon is a summer camp for disadvantaged children who would otherwise not be able to enjoy a camping experience. O'Bannon Camp is supported by two volunteer organizations and seeks donations to help provide a wonderful experience for the children.
To launch our "Cans for Camp O'Bannon RoundUp", we made initial contacts with the local media, who got involved and enthusiastically promoted the project. Local newspapers, TV and radio stations "kicked off" on August 14 with messages to start saving cans immediately, to be turned in the first week of September. The Mayor of Newark declared those dates "Cans for Camp Week."
Our local Goodwill Industry Director and Recycling Manager agreed to use their recycling center as one of the drop-off points and to collect the cans at the end of each day from the other drop-off locations. Their workers weighed cans, kept track of the weights and donors, crushed the cans and transported them to be sold.
The enthusiasm generated for the project was heartwarming and produced 3,509 pounds of aluminum cans, which translates to 107,700 cans that were diverted from our landfill and recycled! We were able to present Camp O'Bannon with a check for $1,436. The overwhelmingly positive community response has encouraged the Camp O'Bannon Board of Directors to adopt "Cans for Camp" as an annual fundraising project!
Girl Scouts
CLARK, NJ
ome people look at an aluminum can and simply see a convenient container for a cold beverage. The Clark-Winfield Girl Scouts (CWGS) see much, much more. They see an opportunity to increase their community's awareness and involvement in helping the environment and to bring hope and help to young burn victims through their recycling efforts.
The CWGS have been participating in The Great Aluminum Can RoundUp program since 1993. In cooperation with the Clark Volunteer Fire Department, they designed a program that stressed the environmental importance of recycling and helped to raise much needed funds for the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation program, Aluminum Cans for Burned Children. The Girl Scouts bring their aluminum cans to scheduled drop-offs every two weeks, where the cans are weighed and the total weight recorded. The cans are transported to a local recycler by members of the Clark Volunteer Fire Department. All proceeds from the recycling are donated to the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation, the only certified burn treatment facility in New Jersey.
Monies raised help to provide non-medical items and financial assistance to the families of young burn victims. The funds also support burn education and fire safety programs such as the ACBC Fire Safety House, a two-story mobile classroom that gives children hands-on experience in fire safety.
In less than a year, 53 Girl Scouts have collected a total of 4,583 pounds of aluminum cans. Since initiating the program, the CWGS have helped to raise over $10,000 for the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation!
Evangelical Lutheran School
LAKE MILLS, WI
hen we started our Aluminum Can Recycle-A-Thon, our goal was to raise enough money for a new playground. We decided to collect aluminum cans because it was something everyone, young and old, could do. This gave everyone a sense of accomplishment knowing they helped, even in the smallest way.
Recycling aluminum cans was the best way to go because we didn't have to blatantly ask for money to fund the new playground. Collecting aluminum cans gave people an opportunity to donate their cans without having to delve into their pocketbooks. We advertised to the entire city of Lake Mills: ALUMINUM CAN RECYCLE-A-THON!! The response was unbelievable!!!
The cans were weighed and stored in a school family's garage. Every two weeks a caravan of vehicles would load up the enormous mountain of aluminum cans and take them to the recycling center. Our collecting from April through June gave us $2,540 by recycling 6,712 pounds of aluminum cans.
Not only did the school recycle cans, but letters were sent out to the area businesses to help, either financially or by donating their aluminum cans. Many of the businesses responded one gave us 700 pounds of beverage cans! Individuals, groups and memorials were also given to the playground fund. All in all, we raised over $7,500!
Elementary School
ELFERS, FL
he students of Mittye P. Locke Elementary in Elfers, Florida are well into their fifth and most successful year of our Great Aluminum Can RoundUp Cash for Cans recycling program. Cash for Cans is an ongoing project in which the students do most of the hands-on recycling and decide how to spend the profits.
Children, parents, staff and several area businesses work together to make our program a success. Although beverage cans are dropped off any day, Thursday is the big "CAN DAY" at Mittye P. Locke. Students work in teams to sort, count, bag and load the aluminum cans into the truck. Weekly and grand totals are then reported to the student body and staff through our "Sharing Wall" and via daily announcements on the intercom. Notices are sent to parents to keep them informed and involved in our recycling efforts. We have recycled 6,303 pounds of aluminum cans in the past year!
All money earned through aluminum can recycling is spent on student projects. Teachers and students provide suggestions and the entire student body makes its choices by classroom ballots. Local charities and environmental organizations are always the biggest recipients of Mittye P. Locke's "can" money. Proceeds from The Great Aluminum Can RoundUp have purchased toys at Christmas for needy area children and sent over 1,000 pounds of pet food to the S.P.C.A.
