Alumna collecting pop tabs for charity
By SARAH NESTOR
Senior Staff Writer
When Elizabeth Elmore, both a Saint Mary's and Notre Dame alum (then Elizabeth Christopher), volunteered to head service projects within the Notre Dame south Jersey alumni club, her goal of increasing service in Jersey quickly expanded to included her alma mater's campuses.
Elmore earned her undergraduate degree in 1968 and then when on to earn a doctorate in economics from Notre Dame in 1976. Currently, Elmore is teacher in New Jersey and an active member of Saint Mary's and Notre Dame's New Jersey alumni clubs.
It was not until 2001, when the University charged the alumni with the duty of increasing service to the community, that Elmore began to see a broader vision of incorporating service.
Elmore began by focusing on charity and found that the Ronald McDonald House's collection of the aluminum can tabs, which are recycled and turned into cash, to be a charity that everyone could easily become involve in.
"Anywhere and everywhere people would be aware o saving the tab," Elmore said.
Now, Elmore is hoping to promote greater collection of flip tops on Saint Mary's and Notre Dame's campuses. For the past two years, Elmore has been working to put everything in place, making her initial contacts through e-mail and eventually visiting both campuses this spring to sort out the final details.
Elmore said that she hopes to have campus wide support and recruit student volunteers. Elmore said, "anywhere there is a can" she wants to have a "separate receptacle for the tabs." This is where the "Collect a Million" campaign comes in, as Elmore hopes students will remember to save aluminum can tabs.
Elmore's biggest undertaking in her campaign is to increase awareness about saving aluminum can tabs at Notre Dame home football games.
"I see all those cans with 80,000 people filling the stadium," Elmore said.
According to Elmore it takes 1,000 tabs to equal one pound, and that one-pound equals 35 cents. With this in mind, Elmore hopes to increase the campuses environmental consciousness and Elmore's long-term vision "is that when people become aware of it then it's just something you do."
Elmore also intends that all funds collected through the Saint Mary's and Notre Dame's "Collect a Million" campaign will stay in Indiana, preferably in South Bend.
All News Stories for Wednesday, May 7, 2003
