23 May Cleveland Community Pulls Together for RMH
Who knew a small gesture could make such a big impact? During our 2nd Annual Pull Tab Palooza, the Ronald McDonald House welcomed the Cleveland community with open arms as guests donated their pull tab collections, took part in activities, and met families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
The day began with a visit from more than 20 students and 10 teachers from Greenview Elementary, followed by our friend and avid pull tab collector, Morgan Stock, and her entourage of Morgan’s Angels. Impacted by a growth disorder, Morgan collects and donates pull tabs as a way to raise awareness for and help children who also struggle with various medical conditions. Together with her parents, Michele and Mike, Morgan donated more than 1,221 lbs. of pull tabs.
Our son Zachary had brain surgery in July 2009, and we stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland a few times that summer. He was 16 then and is now 24, driving, working, and seizure-free! We have been saving tabs for eight years. We want to say thank you for everything you guys do for families. We will keep collecting them!
Former guests and friends of the House also visited during the event, donated their pull tabs, and enjoyed a variety of fun activities, including Plinko, corn hole, face painting, snacks, and a Cavs selfie station where guests could snap a picture with LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving fatheads. Michael Swickard and his parents, Mike and Pam, former guests of the House, donated more than 800 lbs. of pull tabs. Collect-a-Million Club members, Saint Joseph Academy, wheelbarrowed in 480 lbs.-worth of pull tabs.
After weighing and donating their tabs, guests enjoyed a magic show by Ronald McDonald, met with some of our furry and friendly animal therapists, and were treated to a visit from Super Heroes to Kids in Ohio.
Congratulations to the following winners who donated the most pull tabs in their respective groupings!
Top Individual Donor: Michael Swickard – 806.6 lbs
Top Group Donor: Girl Scout Troop 51383 – 219.2 lbs
Top School Donor: St. Mary’s Pre-School, Berea – 381 lbs
Thank you to our pull tab donors for helping make our 2nd Annual Pull Tab Palooza a success! This year’s final weight was 7,640 lbs. At $.44/lb., the final monetary amount donated was $3,361.60! That’s more than 7.64 million pull tabs! Way to #PullTogether!
The Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland would like to thank everyone involved: Morgan Stock and Morgan’s Angels, Majestic Steel USA for sponsoring the event, Ferrous Processing & Trading Co. for providing recycling services, and the more than 40 volunteers who gave their time to help staff the event. This includes Majestic Steel USA, Kappus Company, University of Mount Union Alpha Delta Pi, Ashland University Alpha Delta Pi, Super Heroes to Kids in Ohio, and Ronald McDonald House volunteers and pet therapists.