Bring Your Corks to Frugal MacDoogal's and Equip the Disabled.

Frugal MacDoogal is the first retailer to begin collecting corks as part of the non-profit "Sports 4 All" foundation's "Corks 4 Charity" program. Now you can recycle those corks for a great cause. Don't throw them out, give them to "Corks 4 Charity". Your effort will help some very deserving people.

Look for the collection station inside Frugal MacDoogal's and donate one cork or a thousand. This program is underway right now, so save those corks and start bringing them in!

About "Sports 4 All" and "Corks 4 Charity"

Sports 4 All came up with an ingenious way to raise money. They are asking for your used wine corks. They are gathering corks from local restaurants, individuals and now retailers, sorting them, and then they sell them to artists all over the country and beyond. "There is an artist in California who has a large standing order we can't fill at the moment", Sara Koppelman, Program Manager told me recently. Sports 4 All raises money and solicits sporting equipment and provides equipment and recreational opportunities for disabled persons of all ages.

Sara and Sports 4 All President Kris Salisbury do most of the work at Sports 4 All, but all of the proceeds of their work goes into the foundation. They don't receive payment for their work. The two came together about 2 years ago when Koppelman was working at a Down's Syndrome camp and needed equipment. She met Kris and they began working together on the foundation that Salisbury, a Down's Syndrome parent had begun over 10 years ago. Sara and Kris share a love for wine, and it was over a glass that they had the bright idea now known as "Corks 4 Charity".

It has worked. Now they are putting the word out to do more of it. "The market is there", Sara told me. We have signed up local restaurants like Sperry's and J. Alexander's, and put the word out to local tasting events and to our friends. On a bi-weekly basis, Sports 4 All makes a "cork run" (cork retrieval trip) and collects the corks which then get separated into groups of 100. The lots of 100 corks are then sold to artists for creative projects including: picture frame ornamentation, furniture design, dartboard backsplashes, wreaths, and many other artistic endeavors. When we get a bunch of corks, we get together for "cork therapy", when we sort them out, separating out the real corks from the synthetic ones. "We market on eBay, and when artists find out we have corks available, we become a supplier to them. We can sell as many corks as we can gather."

"Corks 4 Charity creates a community of recycling and giving, providing unique corks to creative minds and artists, raising awareness of Sports 4 All foundation, and offering a reliable funding source to fulfill Sports 4 All's Mission: to improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities by providing funding and equipment to enable full participation in sports and recreation activities. Corks 4 Charity is an easy was to give back to the community and recycle - simultaneously."

Frugal MacDoogal's found out about Corks 4 Charity through the Nashville Predators Hockey organization, whose community foundation hosts a large Wine Festival and Tasting each spring. Sports 4 All has been supported by the Nashville Predators Foundation for 2 consecutive years and this year they are fortunate enough to be a featured charity with the Predators. Editor's note: "Sports 4 All is definitely on to something. This is a great idea you have to agree. Now I know what to do with those corks I've been collecting for years that I didn't know what to do with. I couldn't throw them away and now I know why."

If you're an individual, here's a great way to recycle and help a foundation. Bring your corks to Frugal MacDoogal's and drop them off. By the way, there are other ways to support the foundation besides giving them your corks, and you'll find more information on their website.

For more about the Sports 4 All foundation, and the 2 women force behind it, see the 2007 Nashville Tennessean newspaper article reprinted here (pdf file).

Sports 4 All Foundation
Kris Salisbury and Sara Koppelman
http://www.s4af.org
5827 Charlotte Pike
Nashville, Tennessee
(615) 354-6454