Bottle drive a pandemic alternative to family’s garage sale fundraiser
St. Catharines family routinely wins top fundraiser in event that supports Ronald McDonald House
Clinton Paul and Chelsea Bolger will not let the COVID-19 pandemic end their fundraising for Ronald McDonald House.
The St. Catharines family has won top fundraiser every year that they have participated in the Footsteps for Families Walk-a-thon, a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton.
Usually they hold a large garage sale to raise money — to date they have raised more than $50,000 — for the charity that helped when their son, Carson Cash Paul, was ill.
Now seven years old, he was born with congenital hydrocephalus — water on the brain. It was discovered during a routine ultrasound before Carson was born.
Before his first birthday, he had spent two weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit and underwent multiple surgeries at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Family members stayed at Ronald McDonald House throughout the ordeal, which allowed them to remain together and close to their sick child.
The family has opted to do a bottle drive to keep up their fundraising this year.
They had some items collected for the garage sale so they will be selling those on Market Place and on Kijiji under Garage Sale for Ronald McDonald House.
“With COVID, it’s been difficult asking people for donations. Everyone is struggling themselves so this year we decided that we are going to do a bottle drive,” said Bolger, Carson’s mom. “We just started that.”
“We had to get creative,” said Paul, Carson’s father, who suspects bottles have been stockpiled around people’s homes as a result of pandemic restrictions.
People can drop off empties at 8 Roxanne Dr. until July 12. Paul can be reached at 289-968-6421 or clintonpaul.regionalpainting@gmail.com.
“They can drop it off right on our front porch or on the driveway, anywhere on the lawn is totally fine,” he said, adding he is also willing to do pickups.
Said Bolger, “We are always so humbled to be a part of this and giving back to other families and, hopefully, down he road we won’t ever need to go back (to Ronald McDonald House) again. Knowing that they are always there for us is piece of mind.”