July 28, 2007
Free Detroit Tigers T-shirts draw hundreds
Macomb Daily photo by David Dalton
Gloria Bouffard of American Screen Printing gives a free T-shirt to Julie Green and her children, Samuel, 6, and Boaz, 1. The giveaway was part of a promotion run by the Sterling Heights business as part of its pledge to give 10 percent of proceeds back to the community.
Hundreds of people braved a steady rain Tuesday to wait in line to receive a free T-shirt from a Sterling Heights screen printing business. "When I read about it I thought it was a great idea," said Tammy Winston of Sterling Heights as she ushered her son into the building. "It's nice to see a business do something like this." All American Screen-Printing gave more than 300 Detroit Tigers-inspired shirts to residents as a way to reward the community.
Owner Christine Delvecchio said she tries to sponsor promotions like this as often as she can. "To me, it's just kind of a nice, cheerful thing to do," she said. "We like to be able to say that we give something back to the community whenever we can."
The shirts, one touting the Detroit Tigers and the other honoring Tigers catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, flew off the table at the Mound Road business faster than workers could keep up. "I couldn't believe it when I saw so many people lined up outside," Delvecchio said. "I was surprised. People really want to get behind this team, though." This isn't the first time Delvecchio has donated T-shirts made at her business. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks she helped put care packages together with specialty shirts for American armed forces members.
"That's what I really get excited for," she said. "Anything I can do to bolster the troops I like to do. This was just something we came up with last week." Delvecchio encouraged those getting the shirts to wear them to upcoming games. "This isn't something you see every day," said Dan Lawrence of Clinton Township as he picked up a shirt for his teenage son. "For people to give something like this away shows that there are good people out there and everything isn't all negative."
Lianne Mathie, who has worked at the business for the past year, said she had never seen anything like Tuesday's promotion. "I think it's great that someone would do something like this," she said. "It just shows how big a heart (Delvecchio) has. She really likes to give back to the community. I think that's the most important thing to her."
