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.