Bottle Cap Drive for Cancer a Hoax
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Posted: 9:45 AM Aug 18, 2008
Bottle Cap Drive for Cancer a Hoax
A bizarre hoax has fooled residents across West Virginia who thought they were helping raise money for cancer patients.
Reporter: Associated Press
Email Address: news@wsaz.com
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PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - A bizarre hoax has fooled residents across West Virginia who thought they were helping raise money for cancer patients.

Churches, restaurants and businesses from Wheeling to Bluefield have been collecting plastic bottle caps, fueled by flyers that claim the caps can be redeemed for money to pay for cancer treatment.

The caps, though, are worthless. Even recycling centers are rejecting them.

Aleta Brace of Parkersburg collected more than 20,000 bottle caps before learning about the hoax. She's upset, but said the response shows how West Virginians are eager to help people suffering from cancer.

Amy Berner of the West Virginia chapter of the American Cancer Society says the group is trying to discover how the hoax started.

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Latest Comments

Posted by: Rachel on Jul 22, 2010 at 11:26 AM

Has anyone contacted any of these groups to see if maybe they WOULD be willing to do such a program, since so many of us have bottle caps? We've been collecting them for the DC Police Dept. an *intern* told us she had sent in a few boxes in to the program, and then she disappeared. I don't know where she went. Our "charity" was supposed to be St. Jude's. I really want to know if they will do a Caps for Kids program, based on this info. Has anyone tried??? Unfortunately, our Brownie and Junior girl scout troops here have been collecting too, How do I explain that all their hard work has been for nothing?
Posted by: michelle on May 28, 2010 at 03:54 AM

This is very sad. A friend at work told me to save the caps to help people with cancer so my family and I have been saving every cap we can find. Now we have a huge box filled with these caps and nowhere to turn them in. It feels really bad having to throw them all out knowing what damage they cause to our environment. I think back now to when I started, and I keep thinking how easy it would have been to just have saved the entire bottle. I could have taken them to our recycling center to cash them in. Then sent all the money to the American Cancer Society or St Jude’s Children Research Hospital. Well, it is what it is, and I guest this was just a wake up call to us all to just recycle. It is not hard. And in the long run we all can make a difference to the environment and to our real organizations that provide real help.
Posted by: taylor on Apr 15, 2010 at 09:36 PM

when i read this it made me cry....i heard about it and have been collecting caps ever since...i really just thought i was helping someone in need...who could make up such a cruel rumor....what do i do?? i just want this hoax message to be a hoax
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