iCare uCare Youth Leadership Team's Bottle Drive Initiative

In mid-August, the iCare uCare Youth leadership team—Kevin Ge, Ethan Hou, and Alex Zhao—learned that Jasper's public schools were struggling due to the impact of this year’s devastating wildfires, causing a delay in the school year. Determined to help, they took immediate action.

Their first initiative was organizing two Bottle Drive events, raising $161.7. Realizing they could amplify their efforts by engaging more youth volunteers after school resumed, they expanded their outreach. On September 9, Andy Wang joined the leadership team, and together, they conducted a trial two-hour Bottle Drive in the Edgemont community. Visiting approximately 100 households, they received donations from seven, collecting $73.1.

Event Highlights

• September 21: Under clear skies and crisp autumn air, 40 youth volunteers and 18 parent volunteers participated, raising $567.2.
• September 28: Hosted at the Haptom Elementary School playground, this event gathered 32 youth and 12 parent volunteers. Four parents also took on the task of selling the collected bottles, eliminating the need for a U-Haul rental. The event raised $425.2.
• October 5: The meeting point returned to Edgemont Elementary School. A total of 26 youth volunteers and nearly 10 parent volunteers participated. Five parents, accompanied by their children, handled the bottle sales, contributing to a total of $427.4.
• October 12: Despite it being the Thanksgiving long weekend, nearly 20 youth volunteers and eight parent volunteers still joined. Some families had participated in every event since September 21 without missing a single one.

Impact and Appreciation

The iCare uCare Youth leadership team sincerely thanks all the volunteers and parents—your unwavering support made this initiative possible! To date, the Bottle Drive events have raised a total of $1,947.65, which will be donated to Jasper Public High School to purchase school uniforms and winter coats for students in need.

Event Gallery	Event Name	Event Date	Description
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-08-11	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-08-17	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-09-09	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-09-21	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-09-28	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-10-05	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.
	JasperKids Bottle Drive	2024-10-12	The JasperKids Bottle Drive program.