Notre Dame's Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Promotions Committee is introducing a new campaign to contribute to the fabric of charitable events going on around campus: a blue jeans drive.
The Promotions Committee sent out a statement that SAC is collecting denim on behalf of Operation: Quiet Comfort — an organization that "provides small quilts to comfort our Wounded Warriors who are medically evacuated to a higher level of care, as well as for those troops who are sick or injured and recovering," according to their Web site.
Operation: Quiet Comfort's Web site states the mission of the group is to "exist solely for the purpose of honoring and comforting America's military men and women … You won't find any political, ideological or religious views of the war or other conflicts that the United States may be involved in ... just the love and comfort of a grateful nation."
Marie Revak, a member of SAC, is helping to organize this event.
"The truly unique part of this project is that it is two-fold," Revak said.
Efforts begin with a campus collection for 100 percent cotton blue jeans. These jeans are then cut into six-inch squares, on which individuals later have the opportunity to write personal messages to recipients.
Operation: Quiet Conflict's mission is unique not only for its creative use of transforming items of clothing into practical resources for the troops, but also for how personal these items are when given to soldiers.
Revak said "many of the quilts are given to injured soldiers traveling on long plane rides."
SAC's blue jeans drive will begin today and continue through Feb. 26. During this period, donations may be placed in drop-off boxes in various locations around campus, including the LaFortune Student Center, South Dining Hall, the Mendoza College of Business and the Hesburgh Library.
The dates and times for the later signing of the denim squares will be forthcoming.
