SPARTANBURG, S.C.— Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members from the Southern Conference will continue their Keeping Tabs on Kids initiative in order to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2013-2014.

The SoCon began partnering with Ronald McDonald House in 2006 as an effort to unite the league’s SAAC chapters in a joint community service project. SoCon schools participate in a contest to collect the most aluminum can tabs throughout the year. Tabs are collected throughout the year at all SoCon championship events.

Ronald McDonald Houses collect tabs instead of entire aluminum cans because they are more hygienic and easier to collect and store. RMHC chapters take the tabs to local recycling centers, where the tabs are weighed to determine their value and the recycling centers send the local chapters checks for the total value of the recycled tabs.

The mission of the Ronald McDonald House Charities is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

Wofford’s SAAC chapter collected the most tabs among SoCon schools in 2012-2013, finishing the year with 202.43 pounds of tabs, or approximately 349,192 tabs. The Terriers nearly doubled the effort of runner-up Western Carolina, which collected 108.17 pounds (approximately 186,593 tabs).

All told, SoCon schools collected 447.27 pounds (approximately 771,541 tabs) for Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2012-2013.