Eleventh Grader Finds A Small Way To Make A Big Difference

By Susan Coney

Six years ago, when Katie Orlando was a sixth grader in Sara Strait’s class at Newtown Middle School, she became involved in a program that benefits patients at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, Mass. While visiting a friend in Vermont, Katie learned that by collecting and recycling pop tops — those little pieces of aluminum that pop off the top of a soda can — she could raise money to help children who are treated at Shriners.

The mission of Shriners Hospital for Children is to provide the highest quality care to children and adolescents who have problems with their bones, muscles, or joints. The hospital has been helping children for more than 75 years.

Shortly after Katie heard about the benefits of collecting pop tops, she learned that a classmate in her sixth grade class was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Ms Strait thought that because a fellow classmate was out for most of the year undergoing treatments Katie felt motivated to look for a way to help others.

When she was in the sixth grade Katie began collecting pop tops to be recycled in her own classroom. Students collected more than 40,000 pop tops that first year. The money raised by recycling the aluminum tops is used to purchase a wide variety of supplies such as children’s books and video tapes, as well as surgical instruments and medical research equipment.

 By the start of seventh grade, Katie went to an early morning faculty meeting at the middle school and asked the teachers if she could organize and arrange to have large plastic containers placed in every classroom. Soon other students enthusiastically joined in by decorating the containers and helping in the collection.

The first year that Katie participated in the collection she and her mother Dianne toured the Springfield hospital.

“We saw the rooms where they sculpt the prosthetics, the physical therapy rooms, and the play rooms. It was really a nice hospital. If you were a child you would want to go there for treatment,” Katie said.

Katie is now a junior and involved in the Interact Club at Newtown High School, which supports community service projects. She continues to help coordinate the collection of pop tops for recycling.

“I’m really impressed that Katie has continued with this collection of pop tops for the past six years,” said her former teacher, Sara Strait. “She continues to help organize the collection at the middle school and at Reed Intermediate School. Each year Katie encourages younger students to continue to collect the pop tops and every year my students are really excited about it. She is a true reflection of the Interact Club’s mission.”

When asked what she likes about the project Katie said, “It’s easy and doesn’t take anything away from anyone else. It can make a big difference, you are recycling, and it’s for a good cause.”