Recycling for Refugees

“How many cans do you need to make one dollar?” was a first question asked.

“Aluminium, what’s that word?” was a second. 

THANK YOU to all within the SKiPPS community who have responded to my request, to bring in eligible container deposit scheme items (aluminium cans, plastic bottles, glass beer stubbies – but no wine bottles, please!), to help raise $5000 for an Afghan refugee family – 10 cents at a time! The two collection bins I built for your school keep filling, and with it, so does my heart.

Here is a demonstration of kindness; doing something to help others, while also doing something to help our beautiful old Earth that our children will inherit. 

If you haven’t seen the little film I made with my brother, please do. It’s had 750 views on YouTube, and includes a bunch of SKiPPS movie stars (they’re all destined for Hollywood), and I think the story is timeless, and the whole world might one day see it! Why I dumped a whole lot of 'waste' in a public park. (youtube.com)

Also, the highlight of my week last week came from one of your parents! 

Lucy Saliba, you are a gem! Thank you for your incredibly generous donation (how many cans do you need to make one hundred dollars?), and the kindness of your message. It can be read by clicking on our group’s fundraising webpage, Shout For Good. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. All donations with my name on them have come from can collecting. 

In no time at all, we’ll have $500 on the ledger, from SKiPPS, and then our work is done.

But for now, we’ve got counting to do! 

“We should do a tally,” says Mael.

“We’ve probably got about 70 cans,” says Chihiro.

We started counting them on the grass, on our knees, each child taking turns. They decided to count in groups of ten, and each found their own way of getting there. Jasper took handfuls of 3 + 3 + 4. Sid went 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 +2. Elliot opted for 2 + 3 + 3 + 2. Chihiro went multiples of two. Mael chose 4 + 2 + 3 + 1. 

“If we’ve all gone twice, that means we’ve done one hundred,” he says. 

And that’s ten dollars in the bank, and we’re off and running, and I’ll call by the school once a week and offer to count cans with children, and I am fascinated by the way they choose to do it – the collaboration, the applied numeracy, the conversations, the dedication to a task.

Thank you, all.

Dugald

0425 005 531