Compassionate student collects pull tabs for McDonald House

What makes Grant Gunning's can tab collection so unique is the way it has blossomed into other benevolent collections affected by many individuals.

Gunning, a junior at Cape Central High School, is a student of Brandon Jones, special education teacher. Jones and Grant's parents help him deliver the pop can tabs to McDonald's in Cape Girardeau. While the whole aluminum can is valuable, the tab, made of a more pure form of aluminum, can make a big impact on fund raising for Ronald McDonald House when it is turned in for scrap metal.

"The rest of the kids quit" collecting tabs, said Jones. "Grant has persevered because he is a very compassionate individual and likes the thought of helping others."

Project is learning tool

Many schools support this project, using it as a learning tool to teach math concepts, recycling, environmental lessons, and a spirit of belonging to a larger community of people.

Through the pop tab collection program, Ronald McDonald House is able to provide an affordable place to stay for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974. Fred Hill, a player for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time, rallied the support of his teammates and general manager Jim Murray; Dr. Audrey Evans from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; and local McDonald's franchisees to create Ronald McDonald House as a home away from home for families who had grown tired of sleeping in hospital waiting rooms and eating meals out of vending machines.

Grant said he likes to help kids. After graduation he would like to work at McDonald's. Presently he is involved in a work study program at Holiday Inn working in the laundry.

Gunning's mother, Nancy, is a teacher in Illinois. The teachers she works with also collect tabs for Grant. She said, "His collection extended to can collecting. Before long other people began collecting cans for Grant. We take them to be recycled in Cape Girardeau."

Families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses are asked to make a donation. If that is not possible, their stay is free. The Houses are supported by nearly 25,000 volunteers who donate one million hours of their time annually.