A clothes drive with a twist of nostalgia

Two St. Charles men who are Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers at the University of Illinois are asking for sports apparel to make a clothes drive more meaningful for soldiers in Afghanistan.

Michael Richards, 22, and Dan Polito, 20, are asking the community to donate warm clothes such as hooded sweatshirts for an Illinois National Guard unit deployed in August. Add in apparel from a local college or the Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, Cubs or White Sox and your donation will be doubly appreciated.

"Their gear was lost in transit and they're in the mountains of Afghanistan," Richards said. "It can get cold. They need warm clothes, but we'd also like to send them clothes from area colleges, or Chicago teams, so they can be reminded of home."

Richards is familiar with the unit because his sister Meghan Lyday's husband, Christopher, is part of it.

When Richards' parents heard about the unit's loss, they suggested that Kappa Sigma make the clothes drive a project. The fraternity readily accepted, adding the sports twist.

"We wanted to mix in a nostalgic taste of home," Richards said. "We're looking for new clothes, but gently-used will work."

"When he brought it to our fraternity, they liked the idea of being able to support the troops in a hands-on way," Polito said. "But we also thought it would be fun to get a Cubs-Sox rivalry going. It's more interesting than shaking a can asking for money."

Donations can be dropped off in a bin outside the home of Richards' parents at 1138 Millburn Court in St. Charles until Jan. 20.

"They need personal items, too, like soap and toothpaste," Richards added. "They can buy these items at a store, but the closest base is two hours away."

Richards said the unit is serving outside the town of Qutal. The fraternity will pack all the donations and ship them.

Richards, a senior, is a graduate of St. Charles East High School. Polito is a junior who graduated from St. Charles North High School. They two became friends when they ended up as fraternity brothers.