Athletic training students prepare boxes to be sent to Bloomington troops in Iraq

The sound of crinkling paper filled the room as students decorated boxes with pictures and flags. Members of the Student Athletic Training Council decorated collection boxes at the University Gym on Thursday as part of their effort to send care packages to troops in Iraq.\nThe group plans on placing the boxes at strategic locations around Bloomington and the IU campus.\nErin McLaughlin, a second-year graduate student who is helping spearhead the project, said the group hopes to provide "support to the troops by giving them things they might not necessarily have," such as paperback books, batteries, drink mixes and writing materials.\n"We hope to show our local community members that we care about them and truly support them overseas," said Amanda Wilson, graduate adviser for the council.\nThe students in the group are all studying athletic training. Along with their faculty adviser, professor John Schrader, they will collect, box and send out the items to members of the military from Bloomington, specifically members of Task Force Raider stationed in Mosul, Iraq.\n"Not every soldier's family sends mail to them, or they may not have family," said Schrader's son, Lt. Jacob Schrader, who spent 14 months in Iraq. "Doing a project like this ... when you're in a place like that, when you get mail, it's really the only sign that you're alive to the rest of the United States. It makes your day."\nAlso in attendance were representatives of the Family Readiness group, an organization that provides support for family members of overseas troops.\n"It will boost the morale of these soldiers," said co-chairwoman Jenny Tracy, whose husband Matt has been in the National Guard for 14 years and is currently in Iraq. "It really means so much to us."\nLt. Schrader said he likes seeing community support and said the students in particular were committed to helping troops.\n"I think they can distinguish the fact that we're not political, that we're just doing our jobs," he said.\nThe boxes will be placed at eight locations around campus, including Assembly Hall and the Student Recreational Sports Center, and four locations in Bloomington, including Bloomington High School South, Bloomington High School North and the National Guard post.\nThe group will collect donations until the end of March. It hopes to receive money in addition to the items it is collecting because sending packages to Iraq is expensive. A package the size of a loaf of bread costs about $7.50, while a larger box can cost more than $40, professor Schrader said. Packages also take up to six weeks or more to get to their destinations.\nThough the project is far from over, professor Schrader said he is happy to see that the students are so enthusiastic.\n"The things that really warms my heart is that these kids came straight from the practices they work at, and they're here helping out," he said.