Trustee Sutton (left) and Trustee Higginson (right) collected pop tabs together for over 30 years on behalf of the Village of Bridgeview.
Every year for over 30 years Trustee Patricia Higginson, on behalf of the Village of Bridgeview, has been collecting thousands of soda pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House of Charities Pop Tab program.
Trustee Higginson first became involved with the “Pop Tab” program over 30 years ago when Pat Higginson, a Bridgeview employee, began looking for ways to support the families who have children with serious illnesses through their difficult times. “All children deserve to be running, jumping, playing, and learning. All children deserve a childhood and not spending their days on a hospital bed through no fault of their own. I had to do something, anything to help.” Said Trustee Higginson.
Trustee Higginson’s determination led her to the discovery of the Ronald McDonald House of Charities Pop Tab Program where she learned she could help raise money for the charity through collecting soda pop tabs. Every year, United Scrap Metal partners with the Ronald McDonald House of Charities to purchase pop tabs at the market value of aluminum as well as make a charitable contribution. Depending on the value of aluminum, a pound of pop tabs can be worth 40-55 cents. Higginson got to work quickly, organizing her network of friends, family, and coworkers to collect as many pop tabs as they could find.
Year after year Patricia Higginson collected more and more pop tabs and recruited more people to join the cause, including the late Trustee Mary Sutton. Together, Mary Sutton and Patricia Higginson rallied the community in support of the Ronald McDonald House of Charities, sparking healthy competition among schools and other charitable organizations which resulted in massive yields of pop tabs. Even after the successful treatment of Mr. Kaput’s daughter the pair continued to deliver barrels full of pop tabs to the charity.
Despite the devastating loss of Trustee Mary Sutton earlier this year, Patricia Higginson has continued to uphold the pop tab collection and on Wednesday afternoon of August 16 Higginson made the second drop off of the year which contained over 6,500 pop tabs. “Trustee Sutton worked with me for over three decades to collect and donate pop tabs in support of children and families battling medical issues. It is my pleasure to continue this tradition in her honor.”
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana provides a supportive place for families to stay while their child is receiving medical care. It is a playful, courageous, hopeful place and for over four decades has helped more than 100,000 families stay together with their hospitalized children through complex medical issues.
To help Trustee Higginson and the Village of Bridgeview collect pop tabs for charity please contact the Village of Bridgeview Customer Service Office at 708.594.2525 ext. 3 to arrange a drop off. For more information about the upcoming recycling event or Ronald McDonald House of Charities of Chicagoland & Norwest Indiana please visit https://rmhccni.org