 Ryan Housley and his care package warehouse in Tyrone (photo by Martha Barksdale) When the standouts of Major League Baseball gather in St. Louis Tuesday for the annual All-Star Game, Tyrone will have its own All-Star on the field.
Ryan Housley, founder of Herobox, has been chosen as the Atlanta Braves’ representative in All-Stars Among Us. The competition is sponsored by People magazine and Major League Baseball. Of the 30 nominees, Housley said he is one of five “grand winners,” although he said he isn’t sure exactly what that means. A film crew was out at the HeroBox offices earlier this week, and Housley said former President Jimmy Carter will be introducing him at the All-Star Game.
Not bad for an organization that only officially started a few months ago. HeroBox originated in late 2007 when Spec. Evan Housley, Ryan’s brother, was deployed to Iraq. Of course, they sent him care packages, but soon learned they didn’t know exactly what would be most useful.
In May 2008, Ryan Housley then developed a simple Web page to field special requests from his brother and other soldiers. As word spread, the site became more popular, so in October of last year, Housley left his corporate job to run HeroBox full time.
HeroBox moved out of the guest bedroom of his house about three months ago. It obtained official status as a public charity in May.
When a soldier registers with HeroBox, he or she can customize their wish list. Then potential sponsors can log on to the site and choose a soldier to “adopt.” They can commit to sending monthly care packages for one month on up to 12 months. The sponsors are responsible for boxing and mailing the packages, but the HeroBox Web site offers tips on the procedure.
Each care package costs $10 to mail, Housley said, and the average cost of the items inside is about $5 to $10.
Groups can also sponsor soldiers or hold Hero Days and collect items to donate to HeroBox. Corporations can donate items or money as well.
HeroBox also sends boxes from its offices to soldiers who haven’t yet been adopted by sponsors.
Right now, about 2,700 soldiers are registered with HeroBox, and 200 have been adopted, Housley said. There are sponsors from 32 states.
What are the most common items soldiers request? “The big three,” Housley said, “are food, hygiene products and entertainment.” Flea collars are also needed. “Because there are so many feral animals over there, the soldiers wear the flea collars on their belts.” One soldier asked for a “Sanford and Son” DVD. “He must have been there a long time,” Housley said with a laugh.
Evan, the brother who spurred all of this, is in Hawaii now, going to school and is enlisted in the National Guard. But HeroBox is thriving, even though the tough economy has had an impact. Housley said donations are always welcome to buy items for the boxes and to pay for administrative costs.
For more information about HeroBox, visit www.herobox.org
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