Giving back relates to the foundational beliefs of Elizabethtown College. Yet, some students may be hesitant to jump straight into a volunteer commitment with all that they have going on, and then may feel like they are not doing enough to serve with the time that they do have.
A good starting point for many could be donating to the Ronald McDonald House Charities by depositing the aluminum top tabs of cans into the designated containers across campus, including in the Residence Halls, in Dining Services locations like Jays Nest and the Blue Bean, in the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) office and in the Bower’s Center.
How it all began puts into perspective the importance just one student can have on making a difference. Elsa Woodarek, a second-year student assistant at the CCCE, started the initiative with Ronald McDonald House here at Etown last fall through her work at the center. The CCCE then expanded this effort throughout campus and worked alongside other departments to make it more widespread and known. Additionally, alongside flyers in the Residence Halls, the CCCE puts information about the charity and the collection into their monthly newsletter.
Elsa explains that the Ronald McDonald House, “was an idea brought to the CCCE, and the center coordinated with Dining Services, Residence Life, and the Bowers Center [For Sports, Fitness and Wellbeing] to place collection bins around campus. Collecting pop tabs is a very common way to give back to the community and it was time for it to be brought to Etown.”
With all the can tabs that students already go through in their daily lives and usually just throw away or recycle outside of their dorm, they can make a difference and contribute to a charitable cause. In addition, if students want to go above their own efforts of collecting can tabs, students can always ask their relatives, friends or community members for tabs to put in the collection bins.
People may see the collection bins around, hear the charity’s name and still not know a lot about what it does, how it works, or why they should donate their aluminum can tabs. Ronald McDonald House Charities, and their location at Central Pennsylvania which Etown aims to serve, provides temporary housing for families whose children are being treated at Penn State Children’s Hospital. Families can stay there as long as needed, free of charge and are provided with meals, snacks, beverages, internet and TV services. For families in need, this eliminates one level of stress in an already stressful situation. These numbers can add up to helping a lot of people throughout the year. In the fall of 2023 alone, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Pennsylvania gave out 2,604 meals to 468 families and provided 6,068 family overnight stays.
The pop tabs help keep this service running as Consolidated Scrap Resources Inc. pays Ronald McDonald House Charities for the tabs collected and collects them without charging any fees to the charity.
While the exact number of can tabs donated throughout last semester is unknown, it is estimated to be in the hundreds and grows the more people contribute each day.
“The Ronald McDonald House is an awesome program that does so much good for kids and their families, so it’s great to see that Etown is participating in the can tab collection. Every time I pass the cans, they’re almost full, so it’s exciting to see that people are really supporting the program,” third-year student and resident assistant, Samantha Machmer said.
For those who want to further support Ronald McDonald House, please feel free to reach out to Ronald McDonald House Charities at the Central Pennsylvania branch, which is located in Hershey. On their website, they have listed a multitude of volunteering opportunities including providing meals and snacks to families in need, deep cleaning the location, and helping at events. Students can also donate directly, purchase an item off their wish list, or host a fundraiser if they are a part of a larger organization.
