Pulling Pop Tabs for a Purpose

By Alli Snyder

Alli posing with all of her pop tabs!

Five years ago I started collecting pop tabs from my local school district. In the past five years, I’ve been able to donate over 1.5 million pop tabs to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. Ever since I started collecting pop tabs, I knew I could not stop. I fell in love with the fact I could help families in such difficult situations. People ask me when am I going to stop and I normally tell them stop, I have barely started!

RMHC of Central Ohio has helped me get through a lot of things with their outlook on kindness and generosity to others. When I started collecting pop tabs, my family found out that my vision was worse than we thought and I would probably never be able to get a driver’s license; soon after that, I was put on an IEP. During that experience, I learned life is not fair and we have to help others, because if we do not give back to others, why should they give to us?

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with chronic daily migraines; I stayed home from school for over a month I was in so much pain! At that point, I had a mini epiphany:  you cannot just sit around for a magical cure–you have to work for it. I thought of people who have more difficult life circumstances, and I thought about how amazing they are, and how I have to collect pop tabs as a way to show my appreciation to their families, because it’s one thing to be brave because you are going through, but it’s another for when someone close to you is going through it.

To be honest, I feel a responsibility to RMHC. They have been there for all the times I have needed them. I feel as if I should help give back to them in any way I can, and my favorite way to give back is through the Pop Tab Program. I feel like the pop tabs represent me in a way, it is small but still very powerful, like me. My favorite thing about the pop tabs is getting to take them to the Ronald McDonald House because we always take it on the week of my birthday. I feel like I am making the week like Christmas in June, which I have to say feels pretty awesome! This year I will be spending my 14^th birthday not only getting, but also giving and I do not think many 14 year olds can say that.

Whenever the new school year comes, I know I will be asked if and when the pop tab collecting will start, and that just makes me feel unbelievably happy. Collecting pop tabs is something my family and I do and I know that it is a little thing that feels so big to me and no one can take it away.

Summer of Service

By Megan Koester

Volunteering at the Golf Classic is a great way to give back to RMHC this summer

Summer is a time when people are looking for fun things to do outside the House. As a mom of two kids, we are always looking for a new activity as a family. While my little guys are still a bit too young to take on the town, I have found myself in the midst of a lot of mommy conversations centered around options for the summer. People plan for camps, trips to the zoo and days at the pool but still look for more things to do to make memories during their time together. Recently, I have had several moms ask about opportunities to get involved at The Ronald McDonald House over the summer. The House provides a great opportunity to do activities as a family for the right reasons. Here are ten ways you can get involved at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House and add a little bit of service to the season.

1. Collect pop tabs – Pull the tabs off of those cans of pop or soup and save them for the House. When you have collected a bag or two or three, bring them to the House and drop them off. We recycle them and use the money to help fund our operations.
2. Snack Stop – Come to the house and make grab and go snacks for our families. You can create an assembly line of nonperishable things and put together snack bags or you can come and bake some treats that families can grab to take with them on long days at the hospital. Email Kate.Ziegler@rmhc-centralohio.org to get scheduled for a baking group!
3. Lemonade Stand – Hot weather creates the need for a good cold glass of lemonade. Set up a lemonade stand in your neighborhood or at a local store and raise money for RMHC.
4. RMHC Joe Mortellaro Golf Classic – Join us on July 14^th as we host the largest golf tournament in Central Ohio. You can come and golf with us on one of four courses in Dublin – here is our golf packet link to register.  and  if that little white ball scares you, please come and volunteer to make the day a success! 
5. Hold a wish list drive – Work with your neighbors, friends and community groups to hold a wish list drive for the House. In order to make our house a home we look to our friends to help collect items that we need on a daily basis for our families. Items such as Lysol wipes, sandwich bags and more can be found on our website. Try asking people to bring an item to your house for your next cook out.
6. Start training – Join Team RMHC and train to run or walk the Columbus Marathon and Half Marathon this fall. We will provide the training schedule, fundraising ideas and a lot of team spirit to help you train for this event. The entire family can get involved with cheering and fundraising while the adults take on the miles.
7. Test out our newly renovated kitchen – Sign up to make a meal for families staying at The Ronald McDonald House. You can access the calendar here.  You can come make breakfast, lunch or dinner in our brand new kitchen.
8. Volunteer for the Food Truck Festival – On August 15^th and 16^th, Columbus will host the Food Truck Festival at The Columbus Commons. Come out and try out the amazing food served by all of these food trucks. RMHC is the benefiting charity and we are looking for adults to volunteer and help us with ticket sales and beer booths. Email Kate.Ziegler@rmhc-centralohio.org to sign up to volunteer for this fun event!
9. House Projects – Schedule a time to come to the House and help us with projects as we get ready to open our expansion. Just like your home, these projects change daily and may include anything from making beds in the new wing to helping us clean and reorganize a few of our new areas in the house.
10. Dig It for the House – Come join us on August 23rd for sand volleyball! Adults can register for our Dig It for the House Sand Volleyball Tournament at Flannigan’s. This is a great way to gather friends and have some fun on a summer Saturday. Teams register by ability and have the opportunity to fundraise for a spot in the VIP Lounge!