Oak Forest Native Aims to Warm Hearts, the Homeless

Liam Corley has always been a "giver."

He dedicates time and effort into helping others around him. In , it was the Interact Club—a service-oriented group that volunteered time within the school and out in the community. Now that he's moved on to the University of Louisville, it's a joint effort between his fraternity, Sigma Chi, and sororities on campus, focused on collecting blankets for the homeless in the area.

It's called Wrap Up America, and last year, they collected 2,600 blankets. This year, they're looking to step it up a notch, for a grand total of 3,000. Each blanket is hand-delivered to the homeless in their area.

"I had never heard of anything like that up here," Corley said, of his early involvement with the cause.

Wrap Up America is currently in just a few campus communities across the United States. It began in 1993, when one of its founders parked too close to the cardboard box shelter of a homeless man in his area. The founder, Harlan Joelsen, purchased a blanket for the man, and delivered it to him later that day.

Almost 20 years later, the movement Joelson set in motion has collected nearly 75,000 blankets for the homeless.

"The power of a blanket is undeniable," the Wrap Up America website reads. "Blankets signify warmth, compassion and hope. Our movement connects the warm hearts of our volunteers to the warm bodies in need.

"Blankets are a resource typically taken for granted. They sit in attics, closets and basements and often go unused for years."

The organization seeks to collect new or used blankets, which they disinfect and distribute to those in need.

Corley is leading his group's effort as the captain of the Pi Beta Phi sorority team. At the end of the blanket drive, the teams compete in a fort building competition on the University of Louisville campus.

The day of the competition, the teams bring all the blankets they have collected to the site, according to the website. They then begin to construct forts out of these blankets, while purchasing decorations and tools from our store, where blankets are the only currency collected. (In case you were wondering, a TV set typically runs about 50 blankets, while a Suit of Armor runs teams about 100 blankets.)

The forts are then judged by community and University leaders, who judge the forts on aesthetics and creativity. The number of blankets also plays a role in the final tally. The winning organization is then presented with a trophy and significant bragging rights for the year to come. They are also encouraged to participate in the distribution of the blankets.

For Corley, the collection and competition are fun, but it's the concept that matters most.

"It's something I've always had a thing for—donating time to helping others," Corley told Patch.

Last year, a large majority of our blankets were raised online. Every $3 goes directly to a blanket, Corley wrote to Oak Forest Patch Facebook fans.

Donating blankets is easy and direct. Go to the Wrap Up America website and choose "Donate Now" in the top right corner of the home page. Insert your name and email in the information boxes, choose "Wrap Up Louisville" and the number of blankets you wish to donate. Under the "team" drop down box, please choose Pi Beta Phi, and your donations will fall under their fundraising efforts. All donations are tax deductible.

Corley is currently home in Oak Forest, through January 1. He is available and willing to pick up any blanket donations residents wish to contribute to his cause. Contact him at his university email address if you wish to participate. Donations are also accepted online, until Jan. 8. The fort-building competition will take place Jan. 13.