Thoughts on this first day of winter ---

I see you there – young and old
I am warm, but you are cold
I have a coat I'd like to share
And thru this act show I care
With my coat I send you hope
Feel my heart in One Warm Coat



The first major winter storm has taken the country hostage -- and so many people don't have protection from the cold. 

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who join with us in trying to help those in need.

Happy Winter!

Cutest coat in the world ---

Too much good information coming in daily -- and while I "should" space our blog posts, I think I'll share all the goodies as they come in.

This little coat was donated by the daughter of employee where this coat drive was organized (see, when you say Do Not Display, we don't mention the name of the company). 

We're told she wanted the coat to go to another little girl to wear.

I can only imagine how happy two girls are this winter -- both basking in the glow of this blue coat; and parents are probably proud of them both.

Is there an extra coat in YOUR closet --- or your child's?

Each day is special ---

This is a busy time for us -- lots of e-mails to read, telephone calls to make and Promo Packets to send out.  And each e-mail, telephone call or letter is unique and special.

Delta Airlines has been hosting One Warm Coat drives in several locations -- mostly for their employees, but we have heard about passengers donating coats.  Today we received the "Share Your Success" form from their facility in Barcelona, SPAIN.

Love it!!! We've gone international in no time ---

Big box = lots of coats!

Take a look at this HUGE box --- created by the Central Square Intermediate School in New York.

The box is so large because they collected over 200 coats; half of the coats going to children who attend the school, the other half going into Holiday Gift Baskets for distribution later this month.

This was this first coat drive!  What a successful and meaningful impact for their community.

"Imagine if ----"

Three Girl Scouts collected 198 coats, specifically going to an agency that helps children.

You might be able to read the words on their sweatshirts:  "Imagine if ---"  Here are my thoughts:

Imagine if . . .everyone had a warm coat;

Imagine if . . .we all made one effort to help another;

Imagine if . . .there were peace on ALL the Earth.

New Team Members

We're so busy this year at One Warm Coat -- it's a tribute to the thousands and thousands of people who are donating coats to help those in need.

Maureen Murphy joined our team in August to coordinate the hundreds of agencies that receive the donated coats.  Her major areas of focus are our "retail" drives.  Many of you have donated coats at Burlington Coat Factory Stores for the past two years -- and we have so pleased that this partnership is having a THIRD year.

Maureen wrote a blog about the kick-off of the "Warm Coats + Warm Hearts" campaign -- we're still trying to figure out how to post it to our blog.  (Technology is always a challenge for us!)

Keep your eye out for her thoughts on how to distribute the 4,500 coats that were brought to the studio of "Good Morning America".

Meanwhile, here are member's of "Maureen's Team" donating coats at their local Burlington Coat Factory store.

7th year of a Bay Area Tradition --

Friday After Thanksgiving (that spells FAT for many reasons) in San Francisco means LIVE television coverage by KTVU Channel 2 at coat drop offs at four Bay Area locations -- Bay Street Emeryville, Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Santana Row in San Jose, and our newest locatio, Westfield Centre in San Francisco.

I was up early to remind viewers of "Mornings on 2" of the coat drive and encourage folks to clean out their closet and help someone in need.

By mid-day we have close to 2,000 coats from all four locations.  Girl Scouts were on hand to help with sorting and counting the coats.

Feeling very sassy!

Living in San Francisco has lots of benefits!  This year I've been able to attend three major conferences because there were no travel costs involved. 

This week I am attending dreamforce -- the annual Salesforce "conference".  I put the word conference in quotes because this is really a HAPPENING!  Close to 18,000 people (most with a techie mindset), learning sessions that are jam packed, cloud bean bag pillows scattered along the halls, a "campground" that is full of vendors, experts and gee-whiz tools.  My mind is "in the cloud" as I try to come away from this with at least one new idea for how the Salesforce platform can help us even more. 

BTW we receive our Salesforce product as a donation from the Salesforce Foundation.  This is an in-kind donation worth up to $10,000 to non-profit organizations -- for which over 7,000 non-profits have taken advantage of this very generous donation.

Got to have a fun photo taken of me with "SasSe" (Sassy!) -- the "no software" character --

Coat = Hope

This is the time of year when I keep a box of Kleenex on my desk -- the messages of thanks, encouragement and need will bring tears to my eyes pretty quickly.

Today we received a message of thanks from the Modesto Gospel Church in California who had received several hundred of the Aeropostale BRAND NEW teen coats.  Powerful words -- I hope you will take a few minutes to read them --

I hope you know this is much more than a functional solution to a problem (cold=coat)--this kind of effort helps to break the mental cycle of our guests feeling like they are nobody. This is especially true at our Teen Center where the kids spend most of their emotional energy battling the consequences of unhappy homes and masking the shame and embarassment that comes with poverty. Perhaps you know all of this very well and it lead you to be a part of your agency--but it's worth repeating that every single coat you have distributed will help to build happy memories in this city for those overwhelmed with hopelessness.



and that's why I work on this project --

"Upcycle" that coat ---

This is the time of year when we get LOTS and LOTS of hits to our website -- from time to time I look thru the referrals to see how people learn about One Warm Coat.

Low and behold, we are listed as "Organizations We Like" by Brooklyn Industries.  This is an amazing concept -- check out their website http://www.brooklynindustries.com/.

Brooklyn Industries is a cutting-edge design company that sells its innovative clothes exclusively through its 10 retail stores and online website. Founded by visionary artists Lexy Funk and Vahap Avsar in 1998, Brooklyn Industries’ stores engage the local community in art, clothing, design and style. The Brooklyn Industries office, design studio and warehouse are located next to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In 2008, in honor of the company's 10-year anniversay, DNR News featured Brooklyn Industries as a brand that is "innovative, dynamic and attractive - quintessentially Brooklyn."

Teens will be warmer ---

We've had the amazing experience of working with Aeropostale, the teen retailer with over 900 stores, on the distribution of 100,000 new teen coats.  Working with more than 150 agencies in all 50 states and 4 provinces, these coats will be distributed during the month of November.

Watch "The Tyra Banks Show" on November 12th for information on the drive and the distribution of the coats in Chicago, Grand Rapids and New York City.

One of our "partner" agencies wrote to tell us what these coats will mean in their community:

"I would like to thank your organization for the heart filled coat program you have put together.  In this part of the US a coat can mean the difference between life and death.  It is nothing for the temp to drop to 50 degrees below zero with a chill factor of 50 below.  I want you to imagine the air, coming out of your mouth.  Turning to ice crystals right before your eyes.  I have seen people so cold until their lips are blue and tears from their eyes are frozen rolling down their cheeks.  Our teens in this area will be grateful and appreciative and warm because of you and your staff, bless you all."

Success with their 1st drive --

Karen Garland of P & L Landscaping in Merrimack, New Hampshire was pretty surprised at the reaction from their community. 

Their 1st One Warm Coat drive (and we hope not their last) resulted in over 175 coats being donated.  All the coats went to one of our long-time partner agencies, the Nashua Soup Kitchen + Shelter.

Here's what we know -- people want to help those in need!

Montana's First Lady prepares for Winter

Montana has a special place in my heart -- and this year that place is even BIGGER.  Montana's Governor and First Lady, Brian and Nancy Schweitzer, stepped forward for the "Coats from the Captiols" campaign early and used this coat drive as part of their message about being "Winter Ready". 

On October 14th Mrs. Schweitzer kicked off the First Lady's Coat drive in Billings with First Interstate Bank and members of the Montana Conservation Corp. 

First Interstate Bank, with 66 branches in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota, will be collecting coats thru November -- giving all coats to a local agency. 

Since there was a record setting first snowfall on October 6th, I bet lots of folks in Montana were cleaning out their closets.

Live. Life. Fast.

If you are really into skiing, you'll know this brand.  Spyder Active Sports -- with their tag line of Live.Life.Fast -- knows that it's important to be warm.      We're happy to have their support for One Warm Coat and hope that lots of their customers will have lots of warm outwear to donate to those in need.

Oh my goodness!

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted a comment -- but, as you will see in future blogs, there is good reason for my absence.

We expect to be busier as the Fall months turn into Winter -- and this year has been AMAZING.

Website traffic is up 20% now (that's sounds reasonable) -- and the number of coat drives we are supporting is a DOUBLE of what we were supporting this time last year.  A DOUBLE -- right now we have over 1,800 coat drives on our radar screen.

Already we can see that more people than ever are wanting to help those in need -- and cleaning out the closet is a simple and meaningful way to help.

I'll be sharing LOTS of great stories about folks who are creating One Warm Coat in their community.

Smiling at you all ----

Seventeen magazine's "Mission Awards" --

I grew up reading Seventeen magazine as though it were "the whole truth and nothing but the truth".  It's exciting to see the magazine support young women who are setting out to change the world --

The October issue recognizes 10 special young women who have solved problems and helped thousands -- AND they received a $1,000 scholarship as part of their recognition. 

Maddy Beckmann of Wildwood, Missouri was recognized for her efforts in collecting coats for children.  We were very happy to see the coverage of One Warm Coat as an easy way for teens to help in their communities.

State Governments Join the Project --

Today we announced our latest initiative "Coats from the Capitols" which brings goodwill and volunteerism right to the steps of state governments.  When considering the difficulty of the current economic environment, this initiative is both timely and heartwarming.

Nine governmental offices are now hosting a coat drive at their offices -- with more expected during the next two months.  We've heard from some states that they already were hosting a coat drive for their community.  Let's hope that ALL state governmental offices will be able to help their communities in this easy and important way.

"Week of Caring" activity

The Volunteer Center of the East Bay organizes a "Week of Caring" with several employers and hundreds of agencies that need assistance.  We were very happy to "delegate" the project of stuffing the Promo Packets that are mailed to each One Warm Coat drive Organizer. 

Chevron employees took time from their work day on Monday, September 14th, to fold banners and labels, and stuff envelopes full of items that will help coat drives across the country.

Their efforts saved us approximately $500 in personnel expenses AND will support the donation of almost 250,000 coats. 

When YOU receive your Promo Packet know that it was created with the kind assistance of these volunteers.

4-H Clubs made it happen ---

Lisa Arbogast wrote in to tell us about the very successful One Warm Coat drive that the Virginia State 4-H Clubs held this past weekend in Lexington, Virginia.  This was their first time to host a coat drive and with the tools and resources available from One Warm Coat, the Club reported that it was easy (and fun). 

Yes, that is a horse trailer that is being used to transport the more than 700 coats that were donated.

Way to go 4-H community!

The power of Craigslist!

I didn't have any time to "blog" this week as we were reviewing over 300 responses to our Craigslist posting for a Part-Time, Seasonal "administrator".  I've used Craigslist in the past to look over resumes that people have posted -- and found two fantastic support folks,  Beth Lipski and Larinda Ives.  I decided to be "proactive" this time and list the type of person we were looking for.

Posted the listing Saturday afternoon and by Sunday morning I was already swamped.  Monday turned into a scene from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" where Mickey Mouse kept trying to keep up with the water buckets!  Deleted the posting Monday afternoon as it became apparent that there was LOTS of talented people looking for this type of job.

To the many people who responsed, I am sorry that we are not able to get back to each of you individually.  At this time of the year, we need to be totally focused on organizing coat drives, matching stores and sites with agencies, reaching out to learn about agencies who can distribute coats, etc. 

We are so pleased to welcome Maureen Murphy as "Agency Coordinator" to our team.  Maureen is a Domestic Engineer (yes, she had that listing on her resume -- I loved it!) in the Bay Area with an MBA from Clemson University. 

Stay tuned for news on our activites -- we have some amazing partners coming up in the new few months.

Almost like looking thru a catalog ---

For the past two years, Virtual Marketing Partners has supported our project by "transforming" our Guidebook into a "Virtual Guidebook" . 

The pages turn with a swoosh, there are imbedded hyperlinks to our Tools + Resources, and reading the Guidebook is almost as fun as shopping!

Bells and whistles are nice -- but we think the "green" aspects of the Virtual Guidebook are even more important.  We hope this method of delivering the Guidebook is easier for our Organizers and that they do not print extra copies.  (Early on we made the decision NOT to mail the Guidebook.  The cost of paper, ink and postage made this a "no brainer".)

Many thanks to Gordon and Robina for their continued support.

What else is in your closet?

It is a real pleasure to learn about other organizations and people who share our belief in helping those in need -- and it can be as easy as donating extra items from your closet.

DonateMyDress.org encourages girls to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to others who need them.  The first national network to bring together local dress drive organizations across the U.S., they will help you find one in your area so that once you've had your dream night, you can give another girl hers!has been encouraging teens to donate their prom dresses. 
 
So when you are looking thru your closets this Fall for extra coats to donate, here's a great organization to remember for those special dresses.

There IS need in our country --

Interesting questions that come up when I talk to people -- Is there really a need for all the coats that are donated? How will you distribute all the coats?

Last week we reached out to about 100 agencies to see what their need would be for this Fall. Within 3 days we received messages from over half the agencies letting us know that YES, they needed coats this year.

Here is one of the messages we received, this one from Colorado: "We at Springs Rescue Mission welcome the distribution of coats to our clients. We host 3 major events from November through December and serve over 7,000 homeless and poor within our community. The coats will definitely go to use."

We can all help warm communities - - - one coat at a time.

Shopping can be good --

A green envelope -- what could it be? Earlier this month we received a contribution from Goods for Goodness' Sake.

Goods for Goodness' Sake is an online boutique built on the belief that sharing just a little good fortune can go a long way. When you shop on GFGS, you support the charity of your choice with every purchase. As if that wasn't enough, you also support a group of very talented small business owners. They donate 100% of profits to customer-selected charities and we are thrilled to one of their charities.

Be warned -- their selection of items might be very tempting. http://www.goodsforgoodnesssake.com/

4-H -- OK, I knew about 4-H clubs across the country and knew they had something to do with animals and farms.

How suprised I was to learn that the h's stand for -- Head, Heart, Hands and Health.

We've had several 4-H Clubs organize One Warm Coat drives and I now have a better understanding that this is a great project for their members as they "pledge ...my hands to larger service."

With over 6 million youth participating in 4-H, you can imagine the impact they have on their communities. We are very proud to have their support and participation.

I admit it -- I have a weakness for home furnishings and love to "nest". For many years I have received the Wisteria catalog and read with interest their "Friends of Wisteria" section.

In each issue of the Wisteria catalog, they tell the story of a nonprofit organization doing something special in its part of the world. We were very happy when they selected One Warm Coat as their August 2009 "Friend" --

Later this Fall they have an item that I will be purchasing (probably in multiples) -- an assortment of five scarves (in shades of blue!) that will make a lovely gift for friends and family. At $29 for 5 scarves, I think it's a great way to spread the warmth and remind my friends about One Warm Coat's purpose.

You can view Wisteria's complete catalog at http://www.wisteria.com/.

Enjoying Summer --

Yes, I did take the month of July "off" -- at least from posting blogs.

We have updated the One Warm Coat website and have added many more tools and resources. Our 2009-2010 Guidebook will be posted to the site within the next 10 days AND we now have Google Maps for each of the coat drives listed on our Coat Drive Locator.

Speaking of coat drives, we already have drives for September and October listed on the Coat Drive Locator. Yesterday we received notice that Peter Glenn Ski & Sport stores will be hosting One Warm Coat drives for the FOURTH YEAR.

What a wonderful conference --

The National Conference on Volunteering and Service, June 22 to 24 in San Francisco was absolutely amazing. An opening session headlined by Michelle Obama, supported by stars and politicos (Gov. Schwarzenegger and Representative Nancy Pelosi were balanced by Jon Bon Jovi and Mathew McCaughney) let the 5,000 attendees know how important and appreciated they were.

Two days of back-to-back, informative sessions, lots of networking and three days of great weather. By Wednesday most of the people walking around the exhibit area had a "glazed look" in their eyes.


One Warm Coat had an exhibit booth, right next to the food service (good planning on our part) and we met so many people who had organized coat drives -- and more importantly for this coming Fall, lots of people who expressed interest in setting up a coat drive in their community.


It was an inspiring event -- so glad it was in our home town. Check out our flickr page to see the booth rise up, in less than 30 minutes.

It IS a small world --

I went into a scrapbook supply store the other day -- what an amazing world of ideas, oh my! -- and was working with a saleswoman on the right paper for our table top displays for the National Conference on Volunteerism & Service.

When I pulled out the pages that would be displayed, she saw that it was for One Warm Coat. She was so proud to tell me that her two daughters had created a One Warm Coat drive last winter.

This summer they are continuing their "good works" by asking friends to clean closets for a new children's clothing store that will GIVE items to families in need.

This warms my heart --

New tools and resources

I just finished uploading photographs of flyers to our Flickr site. This gives us an opportunity to show some of the great ways that people are promoting their coat drive. We'll continue to upload flyers, photos and other items that our Organizers send to us.

And speaking of Organizers, we heard from several folks that STICKERS would be a neat item to give out at a coat drive. We will be sending FREE a sheet of square One Warm Coat logo stickers with each Promotion Package this Fall.

This year's Promo Packages will include the 3' x 3' banner, 2 box labels, and a sheet of stickers.

We're still pulling together items for the Promo Package, so let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions.

humming a song in my mind --

This past winter Jason Damato, a multi-talented musician and artist, was watching "Good Morning America" and saw a segment on the Warm Coats + Warm Hearts coat drive. Jason knew first-hand the importance of a warm coat, having been homeless for a time in Los Angeles.

When he reached out to us with the idea of writing a song about One Warm Coat we were very happy-- and when he offered to share the net proceeds with us, we were flabbergasted.


Here's the link to the iTunes listing. We hope you like the song, buy a copy and pass the word along. http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=309837359&s=143441


Jason was recently intereviewed by DoSomething for their "Celebrities Gone Good" section: http://www.dosomething.org/blog/celebsgonegood/Jason_Damato_Interview


BTW, my favorite song by Jason is "Life You Love" --

Is OWC a "leaderless organization"?

Last December I read "The Starfish and the Spider" (http://www.starfishandspider.com/) and it is still noodling around in my brain. The cover caught my eye with the sub-title "The unstoppable power of leaderless organizations" -- and that's EXACTLY how I feel about One Warm Coat!

While I have the "title" of National Coordinator (and sometimes I will add the organizational title of President) I believe the project has grown because it does NOT have a leader.

More than 2,000 individual coat drives were organized last year -- and EACH coat drive has a "leader" -- someone who said "I can do that!".

Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom, the Stanford MBAs who wrote this book, made many observations about differences between a starfish and a spider. Starfish = rely on power of relationships; there is no "head" just legs, if you cut off a leg, it will regrow this part. Spiders = rigid heirarcy and top-down leadership; cut off the head, and it will die.

As I said, I'm still absorbing some of their comments -- and I'll be back to share them with you.

Book marks -- the old fashioned kind --

I took the last month "off" from writing the blog -- used it to catch up on lots of reading, learning more about social causes, and warming up my golf game. I'll be writing some short "book reports" during April to share some of the ideas.

While cleaning out the office I came across this bookmark. Brownies from Troop 1979 put these bookmarks in the coats they collected. Very sweet words -- I hope they have given comfort to those who received one.

"Warm Coats + Warm Hearts" campaign

For two years we have partnered with ABC New's Good Morning America and Burlington Coat Factory in a national coat drive. This year more than 177,000 coats were donated and distributed locally.

A question that comes up a lot -- where do the coats go? We recently received a letter from Cornerstone Assistance Network in Fort Worth, Texas who received over 45 boxes of coats from their local Burlington Coat Factory stores.

Here's an example of how they distributed the coats: "I had a call from a mom that needed a coat for her son. I got his size and grabbed a donated coat and then took the coat to the boy that lived at the Fort Worth Housing Authority. School counselors told us the names and sizes of 50 individual children that needed coats. Thanks to you we were able to supply that need."

Yes -- the coats stay in their local community.

Thanks to the thousands who donated coats and, most of all, thanks to our wonderful partners , ABC News' Good Morning America and Burlington Coat Factory, who make this such a successful effort.

All 50 States

We reached a big milestone this year -- there has been a One Warm Coat drive in each of our 50 states. Yes indeed, a One Warm Hoodie drive was organized in Honolulu by Stussy, the trendsetting clothing retailer. They've been part of One Warm Coat for three years now -- and we like their style.

Here's a link to learn more about these guys: http://http://stussy.com/25years.html

Give me a W . . .

W ... A... R...M... -- that's what One Warm Coat is all about. Warmth -- both the physical kind and the spiritual kind.

The North Middlesex Regional High School Cheerleaders from Townsend, Massachusetts held a One Warm Coat drive this winter. They had an amazing time -- and learned so much about their community.

A short tale about their delivery of the coats to the Clothes Closet: "When I was coming in to deliver the last bit of clothing an elderly man was looking through the clothes. I said my good mornings and that I hoped these items will help to keep people warm. He gave me a cute smile and I excused myself. As I was getting ready to leave, he tapped my arm and said "Thank you and God Bless". So I am passing this "Thank you and God Bless" to all of you. It is the simplest things in life that can make someone happy. A simple smile, a good morning, or warm clothing."

And we pass this along to you ---

Thanks from Indiana ---

We have the privilege of working with hundreds of social service agencies around the country. These folks do amazing work -- usually with limited funds.



One group in Indiana, The Potter's Wheel, provides inner city residents of Evansville, Indiana with hot meals twice a week. The food bank ministry distributes food baskets to families in need of food. The clothing bank ministry provides free clothing to anyone needing clothes.



We received a thank you note last week that we'll share with you -- the folks who donate the coats.



"Through all of your hard work you've blessed so many people in our inner city neighborhood."

Are YOUR closets bursting??

Love to shop? Here are some ways you can make amends and more room in your closet.

If it's coats, hats, gloves, mittens -- even umbrellas -- you can donate them to a One Warm Coat drive in your community. Our website lists coat drives across the country -- www.onewarmcoat.org. If you clean out your closet during the summer, set aside these warm items for donation in the Fall. Share this idea with friends and families.

Have a lot of suits -- this goes for men and women! Two great organizations accept donated clothing to help folks getting into the "business" work force. Check out Dress for Success (www.dressforsuccess.org)for women's clothing and Career Gear (www.careergear.org)for men.

You're not a "Glamour Don't" -- so avoid these mistakes also: Don't burden the organization with left-over summer clothes in October; try to donate at a time when the clothes will be of benefit. Don't donate items that are too dirty, stained or ripped or can't be worn with dignity.

Slide Show of the Red Carpet Activity

Isla donated the first coat --

Here's the scene: a 100-yard long white tent with hundreds of photographers inside the walls, a WIDE red carpet, and a stream of celebrities -- think film stars, the author, producers and other "names". At the entrance a HUGE shopping bag just waiting for the donation of gently used coats.

Isla Fisher, the star of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" was the first to arrive. Here's her donation of one warm coat. (As I mentioned in an earlier post, it was 10 degrees -- perhaps she should have kept her warm coat???)

It was exciting to be there, to see the action and the activity. Over one-half of the celebrities and their friends and families brought coats.

Outside the tent Disney VoluntEARS were collecting coats that were brought by the audience who had been invited to the World Premier. Total number of coats donated? Well over 400!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewarmcoat/sets/72157613670390260/

We'll be posting ideas on how you can find "redemption" if YOU are a shopaholic --

It was so cold --

It was very exciting to be part of the New York City premier of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" on Thursday, February 5th but my goodness it was cold!

Standing for 3 hours at 10 degrees had me feeling such compassion for those who do not have proper protection -- I cannot imagine what is must be like to have no coat, no hat or mittens in weather this cold.

We'll be posting the photos from the red carpet tent later this week --

New York, New York!!!

We're working fast and furiously getting ready for the premier of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" where One Warm Coat will be walking down the red carpet.

Stay tuned for the premier of our blogging as we go to the Ziegfield Theatre on February 5th.