 On the corner of South Third and Stone Avenue in Monroe, Louisiana, just 3 blocks from St. Francis Medical Center, is the Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Louisiana. Once the Stone Avenue Methodist Church, renovations were made in 1985 to change the church into a home-away-from-home for family members of hospitalized patients in the northeast Louisiana/south Arkansas area. Not just a place to stay, but a home-like environment where families can give each other emotional support and understanding. There are more than 150 Ronald McDonald Houses in the U.S., Canada and overseas.
Since the Ronald McDonald House in Monroe opened in 1985 it has hosted more than 8,000 families from 30 states and 9 foreign countries. Primarily we have served trauma, heart disease, cancer, serious childhood diseases, and families of premature babies who need to be close to area hospitals.
Guests are asked to donate $10 per night to help offset expenses. However, this only accounts for 21% of the total operating budget. It is for this reason that we are grateful for the support of the community.
We are in the process of beginning an ongoing PULL TAB collection fundraiser. This fundraiser is used by other Ronald McDonald Houses across the nation and contributes considerable funds to them. A few examples are: Camden, New Jersey - successfully raises over $200 each month. Sioux Falls, South Dakota has been 'collecting' pull tabs for the past three years. Last year alone donations were over $6,000. Phoenix, Arizona, entering their their third year, 'each year just gets better.' They have already raised over $10,000. Each year they seem to do twice as well as the previous year.
Everyone in the community can participate with no expense and very little effort. A central drop off point and a volunteer to bring the tabs to the House will begin the campaign. When you have collected 25 or more pounds (a 5 gallon water bottle full), please call the house at 318/387-7933 to set a time and date you can deliver them to the House to be taken to the recycle center where we will receive about 30 cents a pound.
Just a few facts: Why not recycle the whole can? Because we do not have room to store them and sanitation is a problem with sticky soda cans. How many tabs make a pound? 763. A gallon milk jug will hold about 5 lbs. of tabs. A 5 gallon water bottle will hold approximately 25 lbs. |
