Joshua Andrechuk, a fourth grade student at Merrimac Elementary School in Ms. Guider’s class, helped organize a fundraiser at the school that collected pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House recently.
Josh’s brother Joe, a Sachem alum, had a tumor on his brain that was cancerous and it was removed this past summer. He is now cancer free. Joshua and his family stayed at Ronald McDonald House during Joe’s treatment.
Joshua wrote a letter to the student body at Merrimac and they held assemblies for him to share why they should collect these aluminum pop tabs.
According to Ronald McDonald House, pop-tabs remind of an important lesson: even little things make a big difference. Pop-tabs helps us pay the bills so moms and dads need not worry about where they will stay while their children are in the hospital. Wabash Iron & Metal, our local recycler, buys the tabs at market rate, and makes an additional charitable contribution. Wabash generously donates their pick-up and handling services, so the income from pop-tabs is pure profit, according to a statement.
Due to his speech and motivation, the school collected over 103 pounds of tabs. Merrimac officials met with a representative from Ronald McDonald House on October 17 to give the donation.
“It is a great example of synergy and working collectively as a team,” said Merrimac Principal Veronica DeCicco. “As a school, we made a difference! It’s is a great example of leadership. Joshua was determined to give back to the Ronald McDonald House for the generosity it shows families at their time of need.”