Word of God Collecting Items for Dream Machine Recycle Rally

Word of God Catholic School students, parents and family members are collecting recyclables in a national contest that could bring $100K to the building.

Now ranked at about 45 out of 150 schools in the country, coordinator and parent Maggie Sabol said that if neighbors come together, she thinks Word of God has a chance of winning that grand prize check.

“With the help of the community, I bet we could kick it up a notch,” Sabol said.

The local mother, who has three children at , is now helping to collect recyclable items at and beyond in an effort to help reach the top goal of being the number one school in the country to win.

Sabol applied for a spot in October for Word of God in the competition, which is called “Dream Machine Recycle Rally.” The contest is sponsored by Waste Management and PepsiCo.

“The original response was that we were declined,” Sabol said. “About two months later, they found a way to make it work and I started asking people to save their recyclables and send them to the school.”

Sabol said even for the schools that do not win, those who participate will be eligible for rewards from local businesses. Every acceptable scanned item earns one point. Those points can be collected and cashed in later at www.greenopolis.com.

The contest is running through the end of April. Anyone can drop off recyclable items at or at Word of God School.

Here is a list of the items being accepted:

• #1 and #2 plastics, which includes shampoo and soap bottles among others. Check the bottom of the containers for the recycle triangle and the number
• Aluminum cans (No alcoholic containers accepted)

Sabol said she wanted to coordinate the project as a way to possibly raise money for the school.

“It’s a small Catholic school and you often hear about them closing and my kids go there, so whatever opportunity I can provide for them makes me feel good,” she said. “I get excited about finding things for the school and then making them happen.”

Two years ago, Word of God won a nationwide contest sponsored by Red Robin for random acts of kindness and received $20,000. Sabol had found the competition and turned it over to a teacher.

“I don’t think it’s so far fetched for us to win this contest even though we were entered two months after everyone else.”