State Rep. John Rigby will end his keyboard drive for U.S. troops Friday—three weeks early due to the overwhelming response he has received since launching the program recently.
Rigby is collecting old keyboards for a military base he worked at late last year in Afghanistan. Keyboards in the base’s computer lab are either badly worn from heavy use or are broken. That makes it difficult for soldiers there to communicate with their family members here.
Rigby has received more than 200 keyboards from people throughout the state since kicking off his drive Feb. 26 in Winsted at Kelly’s Kitchen, a restaurant on Main Street. Rigby, who represents seven Northwest Corner communities, plans to ship the keyboards to the base by month’s end.
“This drive produced better results than I could have ever imagined,” said Rigby, who supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as a private contractor. He assisted the military in the repair of aircraft. “Thanks to the thoughtfulness of residents here, a lot of men and women stationed in Afghanistan will find it a little bit easier to get updates from their husbands, wives, children and friends.”
