Student Association has been collecting pop tops for at least the past ten years.  And now they are almost at their goal of 1,000,000. To date they have collected 889,480. But now, SA is going to try even harder to reach the goal.

Why?

Well, a while back multiple members of the club and Sponsor Angela Ziola took a very special trip to drop off what they had. During this trip they got to tour the Ronald McDonald House and find out what all of their hard work goes towards.

“I was not really sure what the Ronald McDonald House was going to look like because I had never visited before,” said Executive Board Treasurer Amy Zyck. “ I remember my jaw dropping when I walked into the main room because it looked amazing.  I felt like I was walking into the main lobby of a 5-star hotel.”

And the fact that this is all for families stuggling with a child’s illness makes it even more gratifying to contribute to.

“I never really understood why the Ronald McDonald House collected pop tops.  I learned that one pound of pop top is worth 45 cents,” Zyck said. “They use that money to help pay for families to stay in the House while their children are staying in the hospital.  They ask that families pay ten dollars a night, but they do not deny families if they are unable to pay that.”

Zyck also noted that Ronald McDonald House is always in need of volunteers that will help with cleaning and meals.

“One million pop tops is equal to $355.50.  Knowing that this could help a lot of families really motivates us to reach that million,” Zyck said.

Junior Class Officer Austeja Staneviciute also went on this trip.

“It was really interesting to see the Ronald McDonald house. It had a very welcoming atmosphere and felt like a true home. There was a large kitchen, play rooms, and many living rooms for the families. The library was one of my favorite parts and it was based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” said Staneviciute. “When you opened one of the bookcase there was a small stairwell that lead to  secret tree house on the floor above for the children. It was a room that was filled with toys and painted so beautifully, with tree branches and the sky in the background. The Ronald McDonald House is an amazing place that helps so many families.”

Stanevicuite was also very inspired to help SA reach the 1,000,000 goal.

“Having the opportunity to go the Ronald McDonald House showed how important the donations are to this organization. Not everyone can pay the suggested donation to stay overnight at the house, but the Ronald McDonald House does not turn them down. They welcome them to beautiful home with a wonderful atmosphere,” Stanevicuite said. “Learning more about the Ronald McDonald House emphasized the importance of the collection of the pop tops because they are the key in raising money for the organization, which helps families in the community.”

SA also knows that everyone at RB can help reach this goal, in addition to helping out at the Ronald McDonald house.

“Student Association is planning on doing volunteer work at the Ronald McDonald House in the future.  We are opening this up to anyone interested in helping,” Zyck said.  “We encourage students to save their pop tops not only so we can reach our one million pop tops goal, but also so we can help out as many families as we can.”