Tuesday, November 17, 2009

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 --

1 comment:

Sylvia MacIver said...

Hello there and greetings from Calgary, Alberta!

I am writing from Wood's Homes, a not-for-profit social service agency that began as an orphanage in 1914.

Today, we are a nationally recognized children's mental health treatment centre and work with young people (of all ages) challenged with complex mental health issues. We are based in Calgary, a city of just over a million.

We see a number of underprivileged families in our work here, and I can't begin to tell you how many smiles you've brought to young faces here. Some of our work involves homeless youth - they are beside themselves with joy! Even the staff are thrilled with the opportunity to present these coats to their disadvantaged clients - especially at this time of year.

Your efforts and donation is nothing short of extraordinary and we can't say enough.

Thank you on behalf of the 450 children and families we work with every day here at Wood's Homes - you've made our day, our week month and year!!!