Roselle company, Venezuelan artists create T-shirts for earthquake survivors, first responders

ROSELLE, Ill. (WLS) -- A humanitarian initiative at M&R Printing Equipment in Roselle is bringing together Venezuelan artists from across the United States to create T-shirts for people affected by last month's earthquakes in Venezuela.

The effort began after a Venezuelan-born employee proposed a project that would unite artists to design shirts that could be distributed to survivors and first responders.

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Employees at M&R, which manufactures screen-printing equipment used to produce T-shirts sold around the world, shifted their focus to the relief effort.

"A printed t-shirt is your personal billboard. It's an opportunity to express who you are, how you feel, what you represent," M&R CEO Danny Sweem said. "The opportunity to represent a cause and stand behind something or stand behind a group of people is meaningful."

Four Venezuelan artists contributed designs to the project, each centered on a unique message of support. Children's illustrator Ale Artigas said her design was inspired by the rescue dogs that helped pull people from the rubble following the earthquakes.

"The idea is to bring a gift of hope with a message of hope from the artists. We are far away but our hearts are there," Artigas said. "If a kid gets that in Venezuela and they just see that and they just hold it in their hand, my job is done."

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Organizers hope to distribute 30,000 T-shirts to first responders and survivors. Participants said the shirts are intended to provide encouragement and remind recipients that people are thinking of them.

"To lift the spirit in a very small way, but I guess that if you add up all the small efforts it will give you a tangible result," cartoonist Roberto Weil said.

Printing and packing the 30,000 shirts is expected to take about a week. Organizers said the first shipment could be sent sooner through partnerships M&R has established with nonprofits to help distribute the shirts.