Junior Tunis sheep members collect pop tabs for hospital

Milo, Iowa — The National Tunis Junior Sheep Breed Members collected over 52 pounds of aluminum pop tabs for Riley Hospital for Children/Ronald McDonald House of Indianapolis.

The Pop-A-Top national service project had junior members collect the tabs for over a year.

The national service project started at the 2010 National Tunis Sheep Sale in Wooster, Ohio, said Dale Huhnke, regional board member of the National Tunis Sheep Registry, Inc. (NTSRI).

“We had the junior members collect for a year with final weigh-in of tabs at the 2011 National Tunis Sheep Sale in Wooster,” said Huhnke.
Throughout the 2010 year, collection cans for pop tabs were placed at each of the Tunis shows and sales.

“Junior members do more than raise and show Tunis sheep. They embraced the idea of having this national service project with over 15 members participating,” said Huhnke. “Even some of the adult Tunis sheep breeders got into the spirit of collecting the tabs with the kids.”

On June 24, NTSRI presented the tabs to Riley’s Children Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House on the Riley campus. According to Kelly Thien communications and marketing manager for the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana, Inc., the Ronald McDonald House provides a supportive home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill or injured children who are receiving medical treatment at Indianapolis-area hospitals, primarily Riley Hospital for Children.

“We serve families from almost every county in Indiana as well as several states and countries. Our goal is to embrace all families without regard of income,” said Thien. “Funds received from the recycling of tabs or donations made by groups recycling their tabs in the local communities are a significant source of revenue for the House, totaling on average between $50,000 and $70,000 annually,” said Thien.

The funds are applied to the operating expenses of the Ronald McDonald House and underwrite the approximate cost of operating three rooms for an entire year. Since 1924, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families. The dedicated pediatric physicians, clinical staff and generous donors have made Riley at IU Health a place of hope and healing for generations of Hoosiers.

As an incentive to collect the tabs, the NTSRI Board of Directors gave gift cards for the top three collectors. The winning brother/sister team of Kaleb Huser and Hope Mann of Celina, Ohio collected over 24 pounds of tabs. Coming in second was junior member

Coming in second was junior member Jessica Swihart, of Perrysburg, Ohio with over 11 pounds of tabs collected. And the third place winner was Jacob Long of Shelbina, Mo., who collected over five pounds of tabs.

To be a member of the Junior Tunis association youth need to be a $10 dues-paying-member and be between the ages of 4 to 21 years old.