Kiner's Korner: This Week's Star Award to Gary Raffia

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was; the sort of house I lived in; or the kind of car I drove.....but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child" (Cans for Kids 2001).

"Thanks in part to Gary Raffia's tireless efforts, young hospital patients may be a step closer to recovery" (Heroes of Greater Hartford-American Red Cross 2000. Gary was nominated and won this award from the American Red Cross).

Yes, Gary Raffia gets Patch's star award for the thousands of kids that have benefitted from Gary's generosity. When you travel on Raffia Road, you can't miss the Cans For Kids shed in the parking lot of Southwood Acres Plaza. Started in 1990, Gary's Cans For Kids has raised over $500,000 for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

There are not many people in Enfield who don't know Gary. But few know what this man has done for our kids. Gary devotes anywhere from twenty to thirty hours every week, sorting bottles and cans and then redeeming them so that he can donate to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center (formerly the Newington Children's Hospital).

Gary does not seek accolades. Gary does not want applause. Gary is too humble for that kind of stuff.  Gary Raffia only asks for your redeemable bottles and cans so that he can carry out his task of helping kids who need our help.

I asked Gary why he does this. His answer was vintage Gary Raffia: "To see how this program helps kids is amazing". Cans For Kids began as a Shell Oil project (when Gary owned Raffia Shell) called "pump a penny" program to help Newington Children's Hospital. The program is now a separate entity with can deposit areas located in Enfield, Windsor Locks, Suffield, and Avon. Gary credits the Air National Guard, Lego, Hallmark, Hood (Suffield), Blue Fox Run (Avon), and Somers Sanitation (who supplies dumpsters at no charge) for much of the success of this program. Many of those places mentioned store the bottles and cans until Gary is ready to pick them up.

Gary's Cans For Kids program allows him to also contribute $3,000-$5,000 every year to the Enfield Food Shelf. A small donation is also made to the Hartford Distributors Memorial in Manchester. Hartford Distributors helps Gary with the returnables.

I asked Gary if he needs volunteers to help sort and redeem the bottles. All that Gary said he needed was two things. One was to have our residents continue bringing bottles and cans to the shed on Raffia Road. The other was to make sure that the bottles and cans are empty and are put into bags that are securely tied. Said Gary, "When they are tossed into the shed they tend to spill and makes it difficult to contain. And when the bottles are not totally empty, this creates a real mess. In all, most people that bring their cans and bottles understand what we are up against. They are really good."

And Gary, you are also "good" and you are our star.

(If my readers have any questions and would like to contact Gary, he can be reached at 860-916-5407).