Recycling program boosts schools

Crystal Jewell left, Jeff McDonald, Tom Rheuben, Bob Buckmann and T. W. Scannell inaugurate a new "CANS for KIDS" recycle station (Kaci Oerter, not pictured, also participated in creating the recycle station). photo by Jim Cornelius

In the face of dwindling budgets, a citizens committee has created a new program to tap recycling money for programs in Sisters schools.

The "CANS for KIDS" committee created by T.W. Scannell, Dr. Thomas Rheuben and Bob Buckmann has provided an opportunity for people to donate their can/bottle refunds to the Sisters Schools Foundation by placing their receipts in a receptacle mounted next to the bottle/can return at Ray's Food Place.

According to Buckmann, "Jeff McDonald and the Ray's organization have wholeheartedly embraced the concept and our hopes are that the Sisters community will also."

Scannell enlisted the help of students and some faculty members in the design and creation of the receptacle and sign that were installed on Saturday, February 14. Receipts will be collected on a periodic basis and deposited into a trust account. Funds will draw interest and be transferred to the Sisters Schools Foundation to contribute to expenses for various programs.

The potential income is substantial. Ray's issues approximately $75,000 in refunds every year. If the organization meets its goal of capturing 10 percent of receipts, it will represent some $7,500 in sorely needed funds for schools.

"Our objective is basically to have people save up cans from their friends and bring them in," Scannell said.

Scannell said he wouldn't mind seeing people out collecting cans on the highway in orange vests emblazoned with "CANS for KIDS." For now, however, he and the rest of the committee will be happy just to see people dropping a couple of dollars worth of receipts into the well-crafted drop box on a regular basis.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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