The rules stipulated he couldn't go door-to-door to ask for bottles and cans, so Josh Mardik figured out a way around the regulations. He stuck a sign on the lawn outside his home in Willow Parks Green stating he was collecting the bottles and cans for a local charitable cause. The cause was the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation, and he was taking this route as part of a commitment made to the Hillcrest School's Me to We project.
Josh also went out on his own when he could, to pick and then store the bottles.
The fruits of his winter-long labour were made evident last week when he delivered a cheque in the amount of $250 to Becky Conly, director of the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation.
The Hillcrest-promoted project requires participating senior elementary students to also pick a global cause. Josh selected an informational route to take regarding global warming which he spread throughout the school community as well as the city.
The 11-year-old, who will be entering Grade 7 at Hillcrest in September, has expressed interest in the We to Me program since its inception at the school, overseen by teacher/supervisor Cat Billesberger.
"We live at one end of the court, so there isn't a lot of traffic going by, but those who did drive by certainly saw the sign. I guess word got out in the neighbourhood and a lot of people would drop off their bottles and cans," said Josh's mother Dawn.
She also noted that his commitment to the hospital's fundraising efforts was evident right from the start.
"We have four kids in our family, so I guess he just figured it out that the hospital is a pretty important part of the city and for us," she added.
"This story is interesting and very impressive," said Conly in accepting the cheque on behalf of the foundation.
