Arbor Park Students Dream in Green: Help Out with a Recycle Rally

The students of are on a mission to turn their community green, and support disabled veterans.

And now you can help, too.

The students and 's Green Club will take your empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and transform them into recycled products—and funding for a program aimed at assisting disabled veterans in pursuing their dreams.

It's called the Dream Machine Recycle Rally, and it's a pretty big deal.

The contest is a national recycling program that gives schools a chance to earn rewards and compete for prizes, all while helping to make the planet a cleaner, greener place, and supporting post-9/11 disabled U.S. veterans.

Profits from recycling will be donated to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a national program offering free education in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities. The contest is sponsored by Pepsico and in partnership with Waste Management and GreenOpolis.

Commission leader and Arbor Park parent Janine Perez is leading the local effort. She asks that donations be kept to individual-sized plastic bottles (typically 12 fluid ounces), and pop cans. Perez started up the collection in October, and it will continue until April.

Drop off items at the bin located on the west side of the. Businesses, churches and organizations are encouraged to start up a group collection, and district parents can send their donations to school with their student. A volunteer visits each school every week to pick up donations.

Beginning this Friday, students will sort through donations after school at Arbor Park Middle School.

Check back with Patch for updates on the students' progress.

For more information, or to find out how you can help, contact Perez at (708)337-0484, or email ofgreenstepscomm@oak-forest.org.