ST. LAWRENCE DEANERY — "What’s in a name" might seem like an ambiguous question, but 11-year-old Daniel Happy remains positive despite a horrific accident that nearly claimed his life.

The fifth-grader from Florida is a patient at Cincinnati Shriners Hospital. Happy suffered burns over 95 percent of his body when an airplane crashed into his home in July 2007. The crash claimed the lives of those on board as well as Happy’s four-year-old sister, Gabrielle. His father, Peter, also suffered severe burns. Happy and his parents (his mother since ) moved to Cincinnati to be near Shriners so he can continue his recovery.

"I’m so excited. I’m getting better," said Happy, who attends St. Dominic School in Delhi Township.

COURTESY PHOTO

Pictured from left, Evelyn Jordan and St. Dominic students Daniel Happy, Madelynne Nutter and Erica Schloemer are thrilled by the number of aluminum tabs collected.

St. Dominic students and longtime Shriners Hospital volunteer Evelyn Jordan have been collecting aluminum tabs from soda and juice cans for the Happy Tabs for Shriners Hospitals Fund to raise money that will assist other children like Daniel and their families.

"His name fits him. Daniel is the happiest young man. You’d think he could be angry, upset or bitter. Daniel is not that way," St. Dominic School Principal Al Grote said. "He’s a good student. He has a lot of catching up to do because he’s been out of school for a year."

St. Dominic students began collecting tabs two years ago to help children who were victims of Hurricane Katrina and attend a school with the same name in New Orleans. By the time the school was back on its feet with funding, St. Dominic students in Cincinnati had collected nearly 600,000 tabs, according to Grote. Their goal is to donate one million tabs to the hospital.

Jordan, who lives in West Chester Township and is a Lady Shriner, has been collecting tabs since 1997. She got the idea from while visiting Shriners Hospital in Boston. Jordan has been a volunteer at the Cincinnati Shriners Hospital since the late 1980s. Her late husband of 46 years, James, was a longtime Shriner.

Last year she formed the Evelyn Jordan Fund to collect soda tabs for the hospital. She said she receives tabs from throughout the country and southwest Ohio. _People learn of her efforts and donate through word of mouth.

"In order for a child to be here (he or she) must be sponsored, which costs $500. The money from the tabs goes for that too," said Jordan, who retired from General Electric having worked as an administrative assistant for 50 years.

"As much as Eve does for us, she doesn’t think anything of it. If she has nothing to do, she’s always looking for something to do," said Louise Hoelker, director of public relations and volunteers at Shriners Hospital. "It’s a little overwhelming to see what a million tabs looks like. It’s great that Danny’s school was able to participate. It’s a great way to involve kids in community service."

In August Jordan visited St. Dominic and saw the amount of tabs collected by students, teachers, their family and friends as well as from other schools.

"We have benefited more having Daniel here," Grote said. "All of us say ‘Geez, what kind of day is Daniel having with all of his surgeries?’"

When Grote and his staff were notified of Happy’s enrollment at St. Dominic, Shriners officials held two in-service meetings — one with teachers, administrators and staff, the other with students his age. They explained that Happy is a burn patient at the hospital and had missed a year of school because of his injuries. Happy continues to progress and is practicing how to jog so he can run again.

By the time Happy showed up for school and met his classmates, they embraced him.

"I got a lot of friends. It’s been kind of tough having been out (of school for so long). I’m getting used to it now," he said.