Local Students Collect Cans to Save Lives

Four Texas State students have discovered a way to turn aluminum into gold.

Texas State senior Sergio Palacios discovered that recycling aluminum cans was worth more than he imagined.

“I was walking by the pool at my apartment when I saw hundreds of cans floating in the water,” Palacios said. “I decided to collect them and take them to the recycling center for some extra cash. I had no idea that the cans I had collected were worth $25. That’s when ideas started coming to me.”

In Sept. 2008, after Palacios’ epiphany, he decided to form a charity organization called “Cans for a Cure” which donates all money made from collected cans to cancer research programs.

“I originally started the organization just for fun, but I essentially created my own internship,” said Palacios. “What was once a door to door operation has escalated into a serious non-profit organization with nine officers, over 500 Facebook members and many influential followers on Twitter,”

Texas State senior Sean Myers didn't considered “Cans for a Cure” a priority until cancer hit close to home.

“I didn’t take the organization very seriously at first,” said Myers, “but in Dec 2008 my mother was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I took a month off from school to be with my mom, and in that time decided that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure no-one else would have to feel the way I felt when I learned I might lose my mother to cancer,” Myers said.

Myers has since taken an active leadership role as the organizations vice president, and spent his Spring Break assisting Palacios in scheduling promotional events, seeking sponsorships and crashing many spring breakers’ social gatherings to collect used cans.

Jessica Olle, a junior at Texas State and the member coordinator for “Cans for a Cure”, was excited to spend time over Spring Break to meet strangers at their doorsteps and ask for donations.

“Going out and collecting cans is a surprisingly good networking tool. People are always eager to help out when they find out that what we’re doing is for a good cause,” Olle said.

This year all of the donations earned by “Cans for a Cure” will be donated to Relay for Life, a cancer research organization that inspired Olle to become an active leader alongside Palacios and Myers.

Austin Community College sophomore Stephanie Roden is an active member of “Cans for a Cure”, and spent time over Spring Break learning more about the organization.

“We were literally climbing over fences and stopping on the side of the road to collect cans,” Roden said. “It’s cool knowing that we’re saving lives and the environment at the same time.”

Palacios’ long-term goal is to have a “Cans for a Cure” chapter on every college campus in America.

“There are approximately 30,000 students at Texas State. If each student donated 36 cans per month, $7,500 per month would go to cancer research and keep over a million cans out of land fills per year,” said Palacios. “Imagine the numbers that could be reached on a national level.”

Pictures courtesy of cans4acure.com