Dave Harback is pleased to report that his annual Tabs for Wheelchairs campaign collected two-and-a-half times as much as last year. Thanks to contributions from clients and caring Edmontonians, along with the efforts of Mike Brennan of The Mortgage Group, the campaign gathered 213,000 pop can tabs weighing a total of 140 pounds.
Put another way, placed end to end, they create a line that is 5.4 km long. The tabs will be donated to the Holy Cross School in Winnipeg to fund specialized wheelchairs for children with disabilities.
“I am very impressed with the number of new homeowners who participated in our Tabs for Wheelchairs campaign,” Dave said, who is now in his fourth year of collecting.
“I had one person give me over 20 pounds of tabs that she had collected over the years and called me to pick them up. Thanks to people like her, we more than doubled the 53.8 pounds we collected in 2016.”
Along with personally promoting the project, he uses Welcome Wagon to distribute collection jars containing details and contact information.
Since 2000, the Holy Cross School has purchased 17 specialized wheelchairs, which are not funded by the Manitoba government. The school collects tabs rather than the entire can to reduce storage space and because there are refund programs in place for the cans. Recycling aluminum pays close to 60 cents per pound.
According to school statistics, there are approximately 1,500 tabs in a pound. To purchase a $6,000 wheelchair, the school requires approximately 14 million tabs, which is nearly 9,500 pounds. To purchase a $10,000 wheelchair requires approximately 24 million tabs or 16,000 pounds.
“A special thank you to Mike Brennan, husband of our Broker Shelagh Brennan, for being so involved in this project. Mike will be delivering our collected tabs to the school.”
This story was adapted – with permission – from one originally featured on the Sutton Spirit website. The Sutton Spirit program recognizes Sutton associates across Canada that improve and enhance the lives of the people around them.
