While most students go to Dickerman’s Ale House Bar (Andale) in Hamden for drinking and socializing, the students who attended on March 26 were there for a cause.
Senior Chris Kito and Tom Abell, a Yale senior, in conjunction with independent student-run organization ICON, held a fundraiser at Dickerman’s for Soldier Socks, a charity that buys socks at wholesale price and sends them to American troops in battlefields overaseas. Students were asked to donate $5 to the charity in return for all-you-can-eat buffalo wings, beverages, and an array of salad bar appetizers.
The purpose of Soldier Socks purpose is to alleviate the health issues soldiers have run into by purchasing clean socks at wholesale prices through charitable donations. Kito has been involved with Soldier Socks since last September, after befriending Chris Meek, founder and chairman of Soldier Socks.
“It is essential to support our troops overseas who are in harm’s way and defending liberty,” Kito said. “Socks are something small which can have a huge impact on a soldier’s life.”
They were able to get Dick’s to agree to hold the event because “they are very supportive of the cause and the Quinnipiac community in general,” Kito said.
More than 100 students attended the event, and more than $600 was raised.
“I was hoping for the best yet preparing for the worst,” Kito said. “I was thrilled by the support of the QU community, which demonstrates that contrary to popular perception, Bobcats are involved and care deeply about world issues. Many of these soldiers are in our age group as contemporaries, which makes the issue all the more personal.”
ICON, a startup group on campus, got involved with the help of its program coordinator, Lou Brookins, a QU alumnus.
“We chose to work with Chris Kito to bring the event to Dick’s because it is a close, convenient, well-established venue frequented by members of the QU community,” said junior Ryan McAssey, ICON president.
“This kind of event raised a substantial amount of money to a valuable cause in our national community,” McAssey said. “This kind of service and generation of awareness is what members of ICON are all about, and we look forward to continuing to help in the future.”
Junior Ryan Floum attended the event “to support a noble cause while enjoying myself around my friends in the QU community,” he said.
“The food, the atmosphere, and the enthusiasm helped make the event successful.”
