Danielle Ziaja
You know those little bottles of shampoo you get in hotels? The tiny tubes of toothpaste your dentist gives out?
Rochester Hills teenager Danielle Ziaja has managed to gather more than 50,000 such items and donate them to charity. On Monday she received a proclamation from Rochester Hills City Council for her philanthropy.
A senior at Detroit Country Day School, Danielle is still collecting toiletries, school supplies “anything that you’re not using,” she said. She’ll even pick them up.
Mayor Bryan Barnett said Danielle made the largest individual donation ever to Rochester Area Neighborhood House, which serves the needy of the community. He called her a wonderful role model.
“We have a great philanthropy spirit here,” he said. “It’s nice to see and be able to recognize that in the next generation.” The proclamation honored her “for her outstanding achievement in forming the Clean Start project” and commended her “for making a difference in the city of Rochester Hills and in the lives of many.”
“Thank you on behalf of a grateful community,” Barnett said.
For more information or to make a donation, contact Danielle at cleanstartprolject@gmail.com or on her Facebook page, Clean Start Service Project. Donations may also be dropped off at Hepburn’s at the Village of Rochester Hills.
