Soda Pop Tabs for Kids: Fill the Whatever Service Initiative
After a year long effort of Builders Club members collecting soda pop tabs with the entire Kiwanis Family, the final donation was made on April 12th at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). The Pennsylvania Builders Club District Service initiative, “Soda Pop Tabs for Kids – Fill the Whatever!” was a huge success. After a year of collecting tabs from all over the district, we were able to fill up a 14-foot moving truck with more than 1,500,000 soda pop tabs. What made this project such a success was the entire Kiwanis family got behind the project, and tabs were collected at many divisional and regional events throughout the district. The tabs came from all corners of the state, and every town and city in between. Even Circle K International President Amanda Badali brought two bags of tabs with her from Arizona State University on the plane as she came home to Pennsylvania for a visit. The unique synergy between Kiwanis and the service leadership programs is a tremendous strength that we have here in Pennsylvania. Harnessing that energy and passion for service is what will carry the Kiwanis family to greater achievements over the next 90 years of Kiwanis. This project was an example of what we can do when we all work together – the young and young at heart, students and professionals.
The event at the Ronald McDonald House included more than 100 members of Builders Club, Key Club, Circle K, and Kiwanis. The members in attendance were first given tours of the Ronald McDonald House by local volunteers so they could see first hand the needs of the “house” and the services provided to the community. By seeing the “house,” meeting the people who were staying and being supported through its services gave the participants a greater sense of what their donation will do and how their club can make a huge impact by supporting an organization like RMH. After the tour there were service projects available. One club made paper kites to be distributed to a local nursing home for National Kite Day, and other members helped pick up waste, weeds, and other garbage around the property and the “house” playground. After the tours, the giant tab donation was made to the Ronald McDonald House in front of the moving truck. Even TABMAN was in attendance to add to the festivities. TABMAN is the official Builders Club mascot for the service project. He made several appearances around the District and brought publicity to the tab collection initiative.
After we unloaded the tabs from the moving truck into the RMH Tab Hut, the group moved to a local fire house for “pizza and a project.” Everyone participated in a large scale service project to benefit Caitlin’s Smiles, and went through 26 pizzas! Caitlin's Smiles is a non-profit organization dedicated to putting smiles on the faces of children with chronic or life-threatening diseases by encouraging them to focus on creative arts activities that boost their confidence and self-worth. Over the next year members of Builders Club, Circle K, Aktion Club and Kiwanis in Pennsylvania will all be working with this project. As more than 100 service leadership program participants worked side-by-side on the project, 8 Circle K members stayed at the Ronald McDonald House to make dinner that night for the families staying at the home. As the Circle K members were making dinner, a guest enjoying the meal recognized one of the cooks. The Circle K member didn’t know that he had a member of his own family staying at the RMH as a niece was getting treatment at the local children’s hospital. The dinner he was making would actually feed members of his family. All of a sudden, that service project meant much more than just cooking a meal for strangers. He was giving up his time to better the life of families -- and unknowingly, even his own.
The PA Builders Club District Service Initiative for the upcoming year is “Share a Dream: Bettering the Lives of Children Facing Illness.” It is important for our Builders Club members to know that illness doesn’t affect people later in life. Children every day battle illnesses, and Builders Club members are going to better their lives through the use of their imagination and creative arts. We are hoping by working with such a worthwhile program like Caitlin’s Smiles, our new District Service Project will be just as successful as our last. However, we’re not worried about succeeding. Builders Club members in Pennsylvania know that the rest of the Kiwanis Family will be behind them no matter what they choose to do to be better their home, school, and communities!
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