Few, if any, have given more in service to the U.S. than those in the military who risk life and limb defending our freedom. Sometimes, however, their contributions are forgotten once they’re returned and rejoin civilian life. Father and son Craig and Matt Steichen of St. Charles, IL sought to both fulfill a dream of visiting every NFL stadium in a single season while recognizing veterans for their contributions.
The Steichens named their venture All 32 in 17 (as in, visiting all 32 stadiums within the 17-week regular season), and asked The Wounded Warrior Project, which raises money to help disabled veterans cope with long-term injuries, to help spread the word to veterans in each city. At each city, they paid for veterans to be their guests at a game, and made a contribution to a local veterans-service organization.
To help promote their project, they enlisted South Elgin, IL’s Signs Now franchise, which donated its services, to create a wrap for a 2012 Toyota Sienna minivan, which St. Charles Toyota donated for the project.
After prepping the vehicle with denatured alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and 3M™ Primer 94 tape, shop owner Simon Nussbaum and his team used 3M Controltac™ IJ180Cv3-10 air-release media. They printed the cop on its Mutoh ValueJet 1324 solvent-ink printer with OEM bulk ink. For the window graphics, they used Clear Focus Imaging 50%-perforated material.
“The back window had an overhanging piece that made it hard to access the top of the window,” Nussbaum said. “And, the door handles, headlights and taillights were difficult to remove, but, for the most part, the overall installation was straightforward.”
He continued, “Normally, we complete these types of wraps in one or two panels for each side, with a seam around the windows. But, because this was more of a show piece, we printed each piece to fit the panels and doors. It was an honor to be involved in this type of project.”
To protect the wrap, the shop applied 3M Scotchcal 8518 glossy overlaminate with a GBC Arctic Titan pressure laminator.
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