Editor
Wes Yonas, a kindergarten student at Clermont Northeastern Elementary, set a big goal for himself when he decided to try and collect 1 million box tops for his school.
The goal may easier now, however, as word has gotten out about Wes’ desire to help his school. He has collected over 80,000 box tops so far.
“We just wanted to help the school,” Wes said.
Wes’ mother, Domenica Yonas, found out that the school collected Box Tops when she went to her first Parent Teacher Organization meeting at the beginning of the school year. When she got home, she told her husband, John, and Wes about it.
“He was like, ‘Oh I can collect box tops,’ and so my husband said, ‘How many do you think you can get?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know, maybe a million,’” Yonas said.
Her husband, who Yonas describes as motivated, told Wes that they would go for it. He has been spearheading the collection efforts.
The family set up a P.O. Box and has been using Facebook to get the word out. Box Top Wesley’s Facebook page, called “Help Wesley get 1,000,000 Box Tops for CNE schools,” has more than 15,500 likes so far.
Wes is receiving box tops from all over the country, including North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. Since he began collecting in September, he has raised about $8,000 for the school, as each box top is worth a dime.
He has also become famous locally. When the Yonas family goes to dinner, or when Wes goes to swim lessons, people recognize him, Yonas said, which she feels has really helped his confidence.
Wes’ campaign has been positive for the school as well. The staff is using him as a role model and as a way to encourage the other students. They made a display in the school where they update how many box tops Wes has raised and how many the rest of the school has raised, said assistant principal Cindi Berding.
“To have such a goal like that as a kindergarten student, Wesley, that’s great to want to help the school you’re attending. That’s very impressive,” Berding told Wes.
The school’s original goal was 1,000.
They have 12,000 now, not including Wes’ contribution, and have more than any other school in Ohio, Berding said.
In addition, CNE Elementary is ranked 11 in the country for most box tops collected right now, Yonas said, and she believes they could collect enough to make it to 3rd place.
“It means that we have a student who’s invested in the school, he cares about the other students in the school, he cares about the place in which he learns everyday and he wants to help support the school to make it a better place,” Berding said.
This will help provide the school with the resources that they need.
The project has turned into a lot of work, though, so Yonas’ mother has been helping cut out the box tops. Once, the family received 71 packages in one day, Yonas said.
“It’s been fun, it’s been very exciting,” Yonas said.
She is impressed that this many people are willing to not just send them box tops, but to spend the money to mail them.
Yonas also really appreciates the notes that many include, some of which have been extremely meaningful, she said.
“Probably the neatest part for me has been the notes in the packages,” Yonas said.
During the holiday season, some people even included stickers or a cute card.
Yonas is grateful to be part of a great PTO, and she and her family are determined to keep the campaign going.
They did not set a goal as to when they would collect the million box tops, and the Box Tops for Education program limits a school to $20,000 per year, so the collection will continue after this year, Yonas said.
To learn more about Wes’ campaign, go to facebook.com/boxtopWesley. To donate, please mail box tops to Box Top Wesley, P.O. Box 554, Owensville, OH 45160.
For more information about what products qualify, go to www.boxtops4education.com/earn/participating-products.