The Make-A-Wish Foundation will be happy to hear that Hardhats on the National Steel galvanizer project enjoy soft drinks so much.

Over the course of the last 11 months, building trades workers installing the new galvanizing equipment in Ecorse have made it a habit to toss their empties into barrels set up around the job site. More than 20,000 bottles and cans have been contributed, and when combined with cash donations, a total of $2,178 has been collected and will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Darren Patterson, a Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 506 member working as safety engineer for National Steel, came up with the idea.

"I saw a bunch of pop cans laying around the job site and I tried to think of how to get rid of them," he said. "Then I heard on the radio about the kid whose wish was to go bear hunting with his dad in Canada, and I thought it would be a good idea to contribute to them. That's when I put out the barrels."

Patterson said on weekends, he and his son exchanged the empties for money, and he kept trades workers up on the progress of the collections during stewards' meetings.

He said in addition to contributing empties, other tradesmen contributed $20 here and there, and operator Glen Reid generously tossed in $300. Last week, Patterson said he was ready to send the check to Make-A-Wish.

"There's enough negative publicity about construction workers out there," he said. "I thought that this was something good we can do."

HERE IS PART of the building trades crew on the National Steel galvanizer project who contributed their empty pop bottles and cans to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.