27-05-2025
Cans for Wishes remembers wish kid in record breaking drop-off
Cans for Wishes is a program that turns aluminum cans and other junk into wishes for children facing critical illness, and so far, the program has granted 42 wishes to kids with Make-A-Wish.
On Sunday, the program's directors and volunteers held their monthly drop-off event, but this time they're looking to exceed $200,000 in total donations in memory of one of their wish kids who died this May.
'This is by far the biggest drop off we have had in the five years of Cans for Wishes. We are doing this in memory of Jesse McFadden, who passed away on May 11th… Jesse was our fourth Cans for Wishes kid; his wish was to go golfing in Hawaii, and so we sponsored that for him back during the COVID pandemic,' said Diane Blood, Cans for Wishes Director.
Blood said the drop off exceeded all expectations, with community members dropping off anything from extra aluminum cans to an entire boat.
Saegertown residents turn trash into treasure for Make-A-Wish
Since starting five years ago, the program has raised almost $200,000 for Make-A-Wish, and she said they easily passed that total within the first hour of their drop off.'It's about helping kids with critical illnesses and their families. The whole family is affected by what the child is going through, so it's about putting smiles on faces, even if it's just for a little while,' said Kristine Haemer, Cans for Wishes board member and volunteer.
Volunteers like Haemer said it's a lot of work unloading cars and trailers full of metal, but it's all worth it to make wishes come true, and on Euclid Avenue in Saegertown, it's all hands on deck to make the operation run smoothly.
'Since I'm smaller and not that strong, I do more of the smaller stuff, so I can get like the cans and some of the wiring. This is honestly bigger than I've ever seen it. This is totally more. Last time, we had the dumpster, and it wasn't even filled,' said Lilly Whitehouse, a volunteer with American Royal Beauties.
Next up, volunteers will take all the scrap to Lincoln Recycling, and if you have any cans lying around, the next drop-off date will be on Sunday, June 29th, on Euclid Avenue in Saegertown.
For more information, check out the Cans for Wishes website here and their Facebook page here.
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