We’re 10 kids strong! Who will be our next boy or girl to join?
“So what is Kind Kids Recycling Club?” Long story short, late last year my then 11 year old came to me and said, “Dad I have an idea. I want to start a recycling service. I’ll go around Makawao and collect people’s recycling, but I won’t charge them anything. I’ll make money at the recycling center, and to make it a really good thing, I’ll donate a portion of what I make to the Maui Food Bank.”
We came up with “Kind Kids Recycling Club.” The idea is simple – Any boy or girl who lives in an area that takes redeemable recycling can join. Like DJ does, with a bit of help from mom or dad, boys and girls offer a recycling collection service to neighbors, friends and family members. They’ll do the work of bagging and sorting at no charge to their recycling supporters. They take the recycling and earn money at their local redemption center. To be a participant in the club, every boy and girl takes the “Kind Kid Pledge.” At least half of everything a child earns from recycling goes into their Pay it Forward envelope. The promise is that this money can ONLY be spent when that child is doing a good deed or kind gesture for someone else. It’s Pay it Forward at it’s finest.
Our Club is all about empowering children. They go out, do good work to earn money, then they decide for themselves what’s important to them, and how they will spend their money to positively benefit others. They don’t have to wait until they’re adults to begin seeing how they can personally make a difference. This is our vision and we invite every boy and girl to join the movement. Here, neighbor islands, throughout the mainland and beyond.
To connect with Kind Kids Recycling Club, check them out on Facebook, or email Dustin at [email protected].
Let’s just say it was a proud parent moment. DJ got on the phone and told others what he wanted to do. Additionally, I sent out a few emails. Quickly he had around 10 recycling supporters. Of course they instantly loved it… A free pickup service and a portion of the money made going to a great cause!
Once a month we would drive together and he would make his collections. He’d put on his gloves, take out his trash bags, and go to work sorting and bagging all of the glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles. In about 4 hours he would make around $75 – $100. Not bad!
Recently, we were sitting down talking about “DJ’s Recycling Service.” We both wanted to figure out the best way to make this BIG and continue making a positive impact in our community and around the world.
