Once again, Westbrook Town Hall’s parking lot will host a collection bin for the Bottle-It-Up

fundraiser that benefits Yale New Haven Smilow Cancer Hospital’s Closer to Free Fund. The 2018 Community Bottle and Can Drive collection bin will take donations from Saturday, April 28 to Saturday, May 5.

Cans and bottles donated during this collection drive will be redeemed for deposits and the funds raised from the redemptions will be donated to Closer to Free.

The event was Matthew Curley Scotella’s way of coping with his emotions after his 4th-grade teacher was diagnosed and later died of cancer. The fundraiser name, Bottle It Up, and the matching slogan— “Let’s put a cap on cancer, help find a cure”—were developed out of that struggle to find a way to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Only after the fundraising event gained momentum did Scotella, now a Westbrook High School sophomore, and his family learn that he, too, had cancer. He was diagnosed in 2016 with brain cancer.

Over the first few years, the campaign raised $7,000 for Smilow, according to Scotella’s mom Jennifer Curley. Recently, the effort has been even more successful.

Last year, the family decided to expand the program by approaching town leaders about hosting a community collection bin at Town Hall to bring in more donations. A Dumpster donated by Clean in Between was parked at Town Hall for a week, and at the end of the week, more than $7,500 had been raised.

This year, the collection Dumpster will again be parked at Town Hall, and on the last day of the collections, Saturday, May 5, participants can join in a two-mile long Family Fun Walk. The walk will begin at Town Hall at 10 a.m. and go down Seaside Avenue to Town Beach and loop back to Town Hall. When the walkers return to Town Hall, they will be greeted with food and live music. Volunteers will be on hand to help with the collection and redemption of the bottles and cans.

In addition to bottles and cans, volunteers on May 5 at Town Hall will accept donation checks made out to Smilow Cancer Hospital Closer to Free Fund in honor of the Bottle It Up campaign.

“As of today, we have raised and donated $18,500 for Smilow Cancer Hospital Closer to Free Fund,” said Curley.

For more information about the event or to volunteer, contact Jennifer Curley at jlc1170@gmail.com.