Making a Change One Tab at a Time
“Be the Change” that is title of the fourth-grade class project at Broadford Elementary in Oakland, Maryland. At the beginning of the school year, every student in the class chose something to do that would help change the world. Some students are helping animal shelters, others are making baked goods for organizations, Ryleigh is collecting pull tabs for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown.
Ronald McDonald House Morgantown is a special place for Ryleigh and her family. Ten years ago, Ryleigh was born premature at 30 weeks. Needing to stay in a hospital that was nearly an hour from home for the first 35 days of her life, Ryleigh’s parents stayed across the street at Ronald McDonald House Morgantown.
“It is such a great organization,” said Alysha, Ryleigh’s mom. “I don’t know what we would have done without it.”
Beginning her project in November 2022, Ryleigh set a goal of collecting 30 gallons of pull tabs. To achieve this, Ryleigh, with the help of her family, hung posters in the community, shared on social media and set up drop-off boxes at Kitzmiller Elementary School and the Vanity Station Hair Salon in Oakland Maryland. They even have local bars and restaurants collecting tabs for the project. And as of January 2023, Ryleigh has surpassed her 30 gallon goal to now having collected more than 100 galllons of pull tabs. And she is not done yet. The project goes until April 2023.
Once the project is complete, the tabs will be taken to a local recycling center and the money will be donated to the Charity to support the families who stay there. Each year more than 1,000 families rely on the Pittsburgh and Morgantown Houses to be near their sick children.
Staying at the Ronald McDonald House gave Ryleigh’s family the comfort they needed when their daughter was in the hospital. And now, a decade later, Ryleigh is ensuring other families have that same support. Ryleigh is making a change one tab at a time.