"Oh, look at that! They're working!" said Mike Mullikin as the new automatic door at Wauzeka-Steuben School opened with the push of a button.

On Monday, Oct. 5, Mullikin, Bob Lomas and Gerry Krachey met in the school parking lot to see the fruits of their collective labor. The school now has two automatic doors that allow easier access to the school, including the Hornets Nest, for people who utilize wheelchairs and other adaptive mobility equipment.

According to Mullikin, his Community Cans as well as the Lions Club donated money to the project, but it was Lomas who opened the door (pardon the pun) to get it started.

"I read in the paper with Mike with his cans doing all this stuff for the community, so I called him and said, 'Mike, I've got a project you can do with your cans: put automatic doors on the school'," Lomas told the Courier Press.

"When he came to me, I told Bob I had never thought about it," said Mullikin, "and Bob told me, 'Me neither until I had to use it myself.'"

"I was in a wheelchair then, so I had to wait for somebody to come and let me in and out and all this work," said Lomas. "I talked to Mike, and he took it to the school. That's how we got it going."

Lomas donated $5,000, while Community Cans put in $1,700 and around $1,000. Mullikin said the project cost more than $10,000.

"It was just a little under $8,000 that was raised for it," said Mullikin, "and the school kicked in the rest."

Lomas’ funds were not part of an organization's fundraising; the money came straight from his pocket to help the project got done. Lomas frequently attends games and events at Wauzeka-Steuben, where he had grandchildren who are part of the programs.

Mullikin said the school was "very thankful" for Lomas’ donation. "They were stunned — they were very appreciative!"

Mullikin said he talked to Krachey, who is a member of the Lions Club, and they got them involved. The Lions Club puts on several sporting events during the year, including tournaments that use the school's facilities.

"We raise a lot of money," said Krachey. "A lot of our money that we raise comes to the school."

Community Cans donates money to several community organizations each year and has given back thousands of dollars to the Wauzeka/Steuben area.

This past year, Community Cans raised $6,600, which went to seven local groups: Wauzeka-Steuben, Wauzeka Fire Department, Wauzeka First Responders, Steuben First Responders, Wauzeka Auxiliary, Steuben Auxiliary and the village of Wauzeka.

"It's a lot of work and a lot of time, but the joy of giving back really keeps me going," said Mullikin.

"For small schools, [these groups] are important because the schools don't have the funds," said Mullikin. "The Lions Club, the Booster Club and the Community Cans program each help out a lot."