Broadalbin-Perth PLTW program donates more than 76 pounds of crayons to the Crayon Initiative

Broadalbin-Perth Central School District is making a colorful impact on both the environment and children’s creativity. The district’s Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program is participating in the Crayon Initiative, which recycles used crayons and remanufactures them into new crayons that are distributed to 240 children's hospitals across the country, including the Bernard and Millie Duker Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center. Since September, PLTW has collected more than 76 pounds of crayons to donate to the initiative.

“It’s been great to see how excited the kids are to contribute to this project,” said sixth grade PLTW teacher Jill Becker. “We have kids from my homeroom visiting the kindergarten and pre-K classrooms to collect crayons, and the entire school is rallying behind this cause.”

Since its formation, the Crayon Initiative has donated to more than 797,000 patients across the country and has kept more than 59 million crayons from being discarded into landfills.

“The students are doing an amazing job,” Becker said. “This project provides wonderful examples of students who are willing to give their time to help out and make a difference. We’re so proud of their efforts!”

Families can continue to participate in the donation drive by bringing in their used crayons from home. Each classroom at Broadalbin-Perth Elementary School has a container to collect crayons, and there is a large donation bin in the school’s lobby.