Courtesy Photo People are seen standing in front of the MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena's Cancer Center holding pink bags that were used to collect recyclables. Proceeds from the returns went to the Susan's Wish fund at the MyMichigan Health Foundation.

ALPENA — Community members Penny Barton and Johnathan Barton partnered with Campers Cove owners, Mark Hall and Judy Hall, to return recyclables and donate the proceeds to the Susan’s Wish fund at the MyMichigan Health Foundation, according to a MyMichigan Health press release.

“It was worth every dime,” Penny Barton said in the release.

According to MyMichigan Health, the Bartons have partnered with Campers Cove the past three summers to collect recyclable bottles and cans from visiting campers. This year was their biggest return, donating $1,500 to the fund.

Susan’s Wish was created by Penny Barton and her family in memory of her daughter, Susan Yachik, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2012, the release states. The goal of the fund is to fill gaps in traditional financial assistance available to local cancer patients. The fund allows social workers at the Alpena Cancer Center to help patients and their family members with needs that insurances often do not cover, such as the costs of transportation, medicine, meals, and lodging.

Campers Cove is located on Thunder Bay River and Lake Winyah, northeast of Alpena, according to the release. The 92-site campground is known for its family-friendly atmosphere and on-site activities, which draws people from across the state to the Alpena region.

MyMichigan Health states that the Bartons and the Halls wanted to engage with the campers directly this year. They decided to directly ask campers for their recyclables and provide the visitors with special pink bags for bottles and cans.

“Previously, we were just picking up the recycling from the bins and returning whatever we got,” Penny Barton said. “This year, we took a bit more initiative, and we talked with campers, giving them special bags, and asking for their returns. This also let us explain exactly where the funds we would get from the returns would go.”

“Almost everyone who participated had a story of a friend or family member who’d been touched by cancer,” Penny Barton said in the release. “There were a few times people got teary-eyed sharing their stories. We also had several people from in-town drop off their recyclables after hearing about what we were doing. Cancer touches many lives and it’s really meaningful to see people so open to supporting Susan’s Wish.”

To celebrate the success of the recyclable donation, the Halls made an additional $300 donation to Susan’s Wish, bringing the total raised to $1,800.

Ann Diamond, MyMichigan Health Foundation development director, said that the Bartons and the Halls have “done so very much to enhance this fundraising opportunity.”

“It’s extremely impressive that they had the vision to offer the opportunity to tell the Susan’s Wish story to campers and to be so visible with the pink bags, obviously resulting in a huge return,” Diamond said. “I’m very proud and humbled by their generosity and hard work, and grateful that the Susan’s Wish Fund is held at MyMichigan Health Foundation, offering our staff the opportunity to greatly assist our cancer patients.”