About two years ago, Lori Ward of East York finished a bottle of wine and was about to throw away the cork when she wondered if she could do something with it, rather than tossing it in the trash.

She went online to research if there was a need for recycled cork. It turned out there was, and Korks 4 Kids was born.

For the past six months or so, Ward has been collecting wine corks that she will sell to a recycler and donate the proceeds to the Autism Society of America.

"It's exciting to know that we can take something that people think is at the end of its shelf life and turn it into something else," Ward said.

She's collected several hundred pounds of cork. Many of the corks have come from wine lovers on the West Coast, like California and Washington State.

"It's really nice to see how many people are interested in the program," Ward said.

Right now she's collecting the corks in her house, but eventually they will be shipped directly to the recycler, which is located outside Philadelphia. The recycler is asking for 5,000 pounds of cork every month. Ward said 200 pounds of cork yields only about $100.

Ward is hoping to make Korks 4 Kids a national program. She'll pick a different charity each year to which she'll donate the proceeds. She's hoping that the midstate community will help her get the program off the ground.

Ward is trying to reach out to local businesses and wineries so they will send her their corks.

If you would like to donate to Korks 4 Kids, call 717-880-1709 or e-mail info@korksforkids.com

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