By Mike Finney

SMYRNA — The tray in front of Jordan Suit, a part of her wheelchair, is where she works to give back to others — one can tab at a time.

Ms. Suit, a 27-year-old from Milford who now lives in Smyrna, has had cerebral palsy her entire life but has never let it stop her from contributing to others in need.

Over the years, she has endured numerous surgeries at Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, while her family stayed at the nearby Ronald McDonald House of Delaware.

And once Ms. Suit heard that the Ronald McDonald House accepted contributions of can tabs to help families stay for free at the facility, she began to spread the word: Anybody who has tabs, please send them her way.

Now, a little more than six years later, she has collected more than 51,000 tabs, and she will soon be popping up to Wilmington to donate them.

“I started out hoping to collect 15,000 soda tabs,” Ms. Suit said. “Now, I have over 50,000 soda tabs. I have more to count, but it’s more than 51,000 as of (Monday). I’m really looking forward to turning them in and helping out others.”

The Ronald McDonald House said that the tabs are made of high-grade aluminum, and they are taken to its partner recycling center to be processed. The money collected subsequently benefits families assisted by the organization.

Each tab contains more aluminum than the entire can and takes up a lot less space. They are turned in for 40 to 50 cents per pound, facility officials said.

In 2018, the Ronald McDonald House received 8,312 pounds of tabs, raising more $3,243. Since the initiative started in 1999, it hasn’t lost its fizz, collecting more than $85,000.

Lauretta Baker, Ms. Suit’s mother, said they would have a hard time storing full-size cans.
“We have soda tabs in shoeboxes. We have them in Lowe’s buckets, … whatever we can find, we put them in there,” Ms. Baker said. “(Ms. Suit) recently, over the weekend, got some more from family because she went to a family function, so now she just has to finish counting those to add to what she already has.”

Ms. Baker said gathering the tabs has become a passion for her daughter because she is so grateful the Ronald McDonald House was available to her family when she needed them most.

While the house does not charge for overnight stays, it does ask for a $15-per-night room donation. However, no one is ever turned away because they can’t pay — and the tab contributions help alleviate those costs.

The Wilmington facility receives more than 17 million tabs a year, but that total might grow substantially in 2022, thanks to Ms. Suit’s generous donation.

“The thing is, she has painstakingly done every one of the (tabs) herself,” said Ms. Baker. “Now, she doesn’t have use out of her right hand, (and) she has limited use out of her left hand, but she has not allowed anyone to help her.

“She picks them up from her tray on her wheelchair and puts them into a bowl or whatever we have on her tray for her, and then, she counts and tells us, and we just write it down.”

Ms. Suit, who is a triplet with two sisters, has been involved with nonprofits since she was a 7-year-old attendee of Camp Lenape, a Felton facility for children with orthopedic disabilities.

Kim Evans, who met Ms. Suit at the camp and served as her nurse for four years at Milford High School, said she is an inspiration — and has been for many years.

“Jordan, in her life, has gone through many difficulties, of course, with having cerebral palsy, but that never stopped her from going after a typical life,” Ms. Evans said. “She’s a triplet, so it’s hard for her to watch her sisters grow and have families, but she always has a smile on her face.

“She has struggled to find a job since she graduated high school, and she’s still putting her applications out there, but she’s worked with us at Camp Lenape and volunteered many hours there raising money for us. Not a lot of people in her circumstances would go help others, but she’s determined. She could use a lot of things herself, but she just keeps giving to others, which is so inspiring to me.”

Ms. Suit, who was chosen as Milford High’s 2013 homecoming queen, serves as an advocate for persons with disabilities through her volunteerism at Camp Lenape and with the nonprofit, We Stand 4 Something.

When she’s not busy counting tabs, she enjoys country music and even had the chance to meet singers Scotty McCreery, Cole Swindell and Rodney Atkins.

Ms. Suit also bleeds green, as her bedroom is covered with Philadelphia Eagles memorabilia and posters. She knows the team’s fight song, “Fly Eagles Fly,” word for word.

“She is an avid Eagles fan,” said her mother. “Her room is all done up in Eagles, and I’ve taken her to one Eagles game, and if I could get her to meet one of them, that would be awesome. She’s gone through some really tough times. She’s got some depression here and there because she goes through a lot of pain, and we’ve been trying to work with (the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) ever since she got out of high school to get her a job.

“She doesn’t just want to sit in this house day in and day out, but to no avail yet, they have not found her a job.”