When Ethan Solomon, 8, and his mom, Kirstenhof policewoman Sergeant Deidre Solomon, started a project last year to collect bottle tops in return for wheelchairs, they had no idea that it would take off like it has.
They say they have received an amazing response from the community: from people they have never met; from Bergvliet Primary School, which Ethan attends; St Anthony School; Constantia Waldorf and other organisations. Even the retired folk at Cle Du Cap have joined in as well as many Bulletin readers.
“We aimed for one chair but ended up handing over two on national Children’s Day in November 2016. One went to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital and the other to St Joseph home in Bishop Lavis,” said Sergeant Solomon.
Because of the overwhelming response, people pressured them to continue collecting, and now they are well on the way to handing over a third wheelchair, although they haven’t yet said to whom. Their goal is to collect 150 000 tops, and so far they have collected 80 000.The mother and son team also gave bags of bread tags to the Salvation Army to help it with its own campaign to get a wheelchair.
If you would like to help, drop off your bread tags and cool drink plastic bottle tops at Kirtstehof police station in Pollsmoor Road, Kirstenhof, or contact her at deidre.solomon1@gmail.com.
