Bend mom and ‘amazing’ son find third ‘Hidden Bottle Hunt’ prize at Peter Skene Ogden Viewpoint off Hwy. 97
(Update: Adding video, comments by mom and son)
11-year-old, who has Type 1 diabetes, giving $1,000 to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
TERREBONNE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Crystal Roberts of Bend, along with her 11-year-old son, Levi, found the third of six hidden bottles for the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative’s Hidden Bottle Hunt 2023 on Saturday at the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint off US Highway 97 north of Redmond, winning the opportunity to direct a $1,000 donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Oregon and Southwest Washington.
“He is amazing,” said Crystal Roberts of her son Levi, her "partner in crime" for the bottle hunts. “Especially after his diagnosis, Levi wanted to pay it forward and got really involved in giving back to charities. It was a no-brainer that we would donate this prize to JDRF.”
In 2022, Levi was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and took the initiative to fundraise for JDRF with his own BottleDrop Give blue bag account. By partnering with local real estate offices to collect recyclable cans and bottles, Levi directly donated the redemption value of the recyclables to JDRF.
JDRF is the largest non-profit funder of Type 1 diabetes, enabling advocacy and supporting millions of Americans living with T1D. JDRF of Oregon and Southwestern Washington is one of over 5,000 non-profits that are a part of the BottleDrop Give program.
Crystal Roberts is as big a fan of the Hidden Bottle Hunt as her son.
"I think it just such an amazing way to get people involved in learning about state history," she told NewsChannel 21 Sunday, "exploring the areas that you live in -- and getting to meet people who are also out there scavenger-hunting."
Her son said, "With all the state history and stuff, you also get to explore a lot of new parks that you've never been to, and maybe even never even heard of until they mention it in the clue. Every year, we got to try out new parks."
With four bottles found on Saturday, there were two more bottles left to be found across Oregon. Participants can learn more about the hunt and sign up for daily clue reminders by visiting a dedicated page on BottleDrop’s website.
What is the Hidden Bottle Hunt?
OBRC’s third statewide Hidden Bottle Hunt runs July 5 – 9, to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Oregon Bottle Bill. It is a treasure hunt with six specially designed, blue-painted bottles with commemorative medallions hidden throughout the state. BottleDrop releases one clue per bottle, per day, on their website, leading hunters to the final hiding spot. The lucky finders each keep the commemorative bottle and select a BottleDrop Give nonprofit partner to receive a $1,000 donation though BottleDrop’s Containers for Change program. Learn more about the Hidden Bottle Hunt here.
What is the Bottle Bill?
On July 2, 1971, Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass a Bottle Bill – a system that provides a redemption value for containers purchased in Oregon, incentivizing recycling and keeping bottles and cans out of our natural areas. It remains a groundbreaking approach to addressing the issue of litter in our forests, rivers, beaches, scenic byways, and other natural areas. Over time, Oregon’s system has grown and innovated to become a national model of beverage container redemption and recycling, inspiring national and international delegations to visit Oregon to learn about its unique and effective system. Learn more about what makes the Oregon model special here.
About BottleDrop and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative:
The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) is the industry steward of Oregon’s nationally recognized beverage container redemption system and the operator of the BottleDrop network. Headquartered in Clackamas, Ore., OBRC is a statewide, not-for-profit cooperative, formed by beverage distributors to operate Oregon’s renowned Bottle Bill program. OBRC helps keep Oregon beautiful by providing outstanding services to partners, distributors, retailers and the public for the recovery, reuse and recycling of beverage containers. Through OBRC’s BottleDrop Redemption Centers and container pickup service for more than 2,000 retail partners, the co-op recycles around two billion beverage containers annually, protecting the Oregon we love, supporting the causes we cherish, and inspiring innovation beyond our borders, to create a world where no resource is wasted – all without a penny of state funding. To learn more, visit BottleDrop.com or OBRC.com.
