As we take a moment to remember our military members who lost their lives in service of our country this weekend, there’s a wonderful way to honor their memory. Donate aluminum cans to help burned children of the Burn Center of St. Barnabas. Instead of tossing your empty cans into your recycling bin, bring them to our local Westfield Fire Department and drop them off there.
Donate Aluminum Cans for the ACBC Program
New Jersey firefighters started the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children (ACBC) Program back in 1986. They began asking the public to donate their empty aluminum cans at their local headquarters for recycling. Firefighters brought the cans to recycling centers and donated whatever money they raised to the Burn Center at St. Barnabas in Livingston. When they hooked up with other offices around the state, the ACBC Program really took off.
Currently, St. Barnabas offers the only officially designated burn center in the entire state. They treat 400 in-patients each year, with approximately 6,000 treated on an outpatient basis. While they treat patients of all ages, nearly 40% of them are children. Burn treatment ranges from a spilled hot beverage all the way up to victims of house fires.
What is the ACBC Program?
Representatives of the St. Barnabas Burn Center visit schools around the state to educate children about watching out for things that could burn them. Their mobile program shows children how to identify potential fire hazards and how to escape if caught up in a burning building. For children who have been severely burned, they also provide school re-entry assistance to help kids go back to school after their injuries. It also teaches other children how to interact positively with the injured children, making the transition a much smoother process.
Find out where you can donate aluminum cans for the Burn Center at St. Barnabas by visiting the St. Barnabas ACBC Program website here. I believe that most of the fire departments in Union County are part of the collection services. But, I know for sure that Westfield’s Fire Department accepts empty aluminum cans during normal business hours for the ACBC Program. Donate your cans today.
Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes