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NLU lends a hand for USO care package drive

May 8, 2013

by Mark Donahue

Yesterday, NLU faculty, staff, leadership and students teamed up with USO of Illinois as part of the University's May Month of Service to assemble care packages for military members serving in Afghanistan.

Donations came from all seven NLU campuses and included everything from chewing gum, granola bars and toiletries to books, DVDs, clothing items and more. The original goal of 50 boxes was nearly tripled to 138 in just an hour of work.

Additionally, students from St. Giles School in Oak Park and Carl Von Linne Elementary School in Chicago provided hand-made thank you cards to include in the packages, with members of the NLU community adding their own.

"The most exciting thing for me is we have literally had massive participation from all seven of our locations," said McCeil Johnson, Executive Director of Legal Affairs.

Johnson spearheaded the drive with help from associate professor Janice Guerriero, who had contacts with the USO. What went from a volunteering opportunity just for leadership grew to encompass the whole University, with groups at each campus forming "platoons" to donate or volunteer. Members of NLU leadership also donated money to help buy items and pay for shipping.

All packages will be going to 65 members of an Air National Guard unit from Peoria, which deployed to Afghanistan in January. With nearly half a year on duty, said Jill Gayton, Project Manager for USO of Illinois, those service members will be starting to get homesick, and the care packages mean a lot.

"They appreciate getting something from home — that someone's thinking about them," she said.

Beyond the care package drive, Johnson said NLU is going to help the USO with career development — resume reviews, etc. — for service members in the future and hopes the two organizations can do even more.

Because of the higher-than-expected number of packages, the USO is still accepting money donations to cover shipping. You can donate online here. Indicate that this event is for National Louis University.

ul 5.8.13           ‌ul 5.8.13  
Donations came from all seven NLU campuses
and covered a wide range of items.		         Children from two Chicagoland schools made cards
to be included in the packages.
           
ul 5.8.13         ul 5.8.13  
 NLU's community pitched in to assemble packages.         Things moved quickly on the assembly line.
           
ul 5.8.13           ul 5.8.13  
Packages are being sent to an Illinois Air National
Guard unit stationed in Afghanistan.		         NLU nearly tripled its original goal of 50 packages
at yesterday's event.

 

Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of Tampa's major business districts, NLU's Florida Regional Center serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to its classrooms, the National Louis University Tampa Regional Center features a computer lab, student lounges, and conference room.

    5110 Sunforest Drive, Suite 102
    Tampa, FL 33634
    (800) 366.6581
    Info » | Directions »