One Warm Coat, One Warm Soul, One More Smile

The weather outside is frightful! Record snow, rainfall and below-normal temperatures sent most of us searching for warm coats this week. Thanks to the Warm Coats & Warm Hearts campaign, many more are able to join us. Check out a few of their stories in the campaign’s Give a Coat, Change a Life video. One young wife and mother of five, whose family received coats after an electrical fire destroyed their home, affirmed that “It’s symbolic - not just because it’s cold outside.” Theirs are the tales that warm our hearts this winter!

"I Will Take Care of It."

"I will take care of it." That’s what Chris Trudeau of the Boston St. Vincent de Paul said when we contacted him with a unique request last week. One Warm Coat friend Elaine Wheaton, on a trip to Massachusetts, had become aware that some clients of New Hope Transitional Support Services had no warm coats. So she contacted us. In turn, we contacted Chris, who arranged to get coats to New Hope ASAP. We love being able to make connections between those who see a problem and those who have the resources to solve it. And we love being friends with Elaine and Chris, whose “take care of it” nature has made the difference for those in need in Weymouth, Massachusetts this week!

Warmest Wishes...

Warmest wishes to you from One Warm Coat.

Delta Airlines: Warming Communities... Across the Globe!

From Anchorage to Pensacola and Montreal to Narita, Japan, Delta Airlines' employees and their Force for Global Good hosted workplace coat drives at 57 locations! The proud Atlanta customer service agents told us "it was very rewarding presenting the coats to the three agencies on behalf of our colleagues....It felt good to help our fellow Atlantans." ...a tale told in city after city across the U.S. - and now across the globe!

A Light to Brighten the Winter Darkness

Today, we recall the first day of Winter in 2006, the day that One Warm Coat was recognized as a Daily Point of Light. The Points of Light Foundation, established in 1990, honored us as a "...great example of how a single citizen, and eventually a group of citizens, can make a positive difference; that our communities are enriched by programs such as these." We honor our founder Lois Pavlow and all of YOU who continue to keep the light shining through the winter darkness year after year.

Gifts of Honor

One savvy shopper in California recently did a lot of holiday gift-ing – and helped us to purchase NEW coats for children across the U.S. at the same time! With just a few clicks of the mouse (at the Donation link on our website), she made $10.00 gifts to One Warm Coat in honor of 15 people! Each recipient will soon receive a special acknowledgement, along with our heart-felt appreciation. Thank you, Savvy Shopper, for helping us share the warmth this holiday season!

"Drop Your Kid - Drop Your Coat?!" Valencia Elementary School Drive

Posted in the Valencia Elementary School’s student drop-off zone, kids in the I’m Making a Difference program collected 485 coats during their recent coat drive! It all started during a study of the lives of the area's homeless. Lillie Eiserman, their teacher, shares that the kids “were shocked to see that simple tools… meant survival to someone. We were able to collect so many coats because we had students that cared.” During the project, the kids made posters, sent flyers, got donations and stood in the drop-off space each day to gather donated coats. Congratulations, kids! We’d give this project a definite “A+!”

Hope You Are Smiling Today!

“It brings tears to my eyes to hear the excitement as the coats are arriving. Hope you are smiling today!” (We are!) This note and many others like it come to us through the efforts of sponsor Burlington Coat Factory and their customers who donated directly to our cause at check out last summer. (With these funds, we were able to purchase and ship thousands of new coats to children across the Western U.S.)
Once again, for a limited time, customers can visit a Burlington Coat Factory store – or their website – to make similar donations. When you look into the happy faces of these adorable – and now WARM – children, you'll know that you've made a difference. And we bet that YOU’RE smiling today, too! Thank you all!

GMA Scores Again for Warm Coats & Warm Hearts!

Many have the drive, but only one will win the Heisman! College sports' newest celebrity comes to Good Morning America Monday morning to make a special play on behalf of Warm Coats & Warm Hearts! Huddle with us at ABC-TV between 7 and 9 a.m. to meet the winner and see how close we're coming to reaching our goal! (With the continued generosity of GMA's celebrities and warm-hearted people in communities across the country, One Warm Coat could... go... all... the... way!)

The Coats Off Their Backs Could Go Into YOUR Closet!

Glad Products Company offers YOU (and all your friends) a chance to win a Glad® ForceFlex™ bag FILLED with coats donated by America's favorite actors, recording artists, style icons and athletes! Why copy Sarah Jessica Parker's style? Now you can wear the real thing while contributing to our cause. All proceeds go to One Warm Coat! Now through Dec. 27th, EVERYONE can go to the Glad Charitable Celebrity Coat Auction and bid on coats donated by Parker, Justin Timberlake, Tim Gunn, Kyle Massey and many others.  With new celebrity donations each week, you’ll want to make TheBagBank.com a Favorite site and get emails when new "lots" open! Warmest thanks to Glad and these generous celebrities for helping to raise awareness of the need for warm coats - and helping us collect LOTS of coats to share with those in need.

Kris Jenner Designs One Very Warm Coat with Curel Skincare & Searle!

Kris Kardashian Jenner has joined forces with Curél® Skincare and Searle to create the exclusive Barrier Coat in honor of One Warm Coat. The coat was designed to keep out the cold and keep in the warmth (just like Curél® Skincare's new moisture-barrier lotion). Click here to learn more and order one of your own. Thanks to the partnership's generous support, many, many more people will have warm coats this season!

Scouts' Honor

“On my honor, I will ...” That’s often the start of a pledge made by Brownies,  Girl Scouts and many other young people who join service organizations to help others. Leaders Patty Scipioni and Alicia Freeman-Nield are very proud of Bethlehem, PA Daisies and Brownies of troops 846 and 8276. Their Fall coat drive grew and grew until it finally included the whole Miller Heights Elementary School community! Patty shares that each Girl Scout brought a quarter to donate, too, as part of the drive’s closing ceremony. The quarter signifies this lesson: One person’s contribution may not “have much power on its own,” but all our contributions together can make a real difference. We’re thrilled that youth organizations like this one join with us each year to make the winter warmer in their home communities. Congratulations, Troops 846 and 8276! Great job!

We Love Burlington Coat Factory - Now in More Ways Than One!

Today, our Warm Coats & Warm Hearts partner, Burlington Coat Factory, added another way for customers to spread the warmth this winter! From now through January 17, 2011, in addition to donating gently-worn coats at Burlington Coat Factory locations, their loyal customers can make monetary donations to One Warm Coat at check out! Donations from a similar campaign last July enabled us to deliver warm coats to thousands of children in the mid-mountain West last month. Thank you again Burlington Coat Factory! Your creativity and dedication will continue to help us spread the warmth even further this winter and next!

Truly Glad Tidings!

There's exciting news from our sponsor, the Glad Products Company! They just opened a new Bag Bank to provide community service projects with FREE bags and they’re hosting an online Celebrity Coat Auction, where people can bid to win Glad bags filled with designer coats donated by celebrities!

• Organizing a Coat Drive? Go to TheBagBank.com to register for your FREE supply of Glad trash bags – a great way to save money and easily transport collected coats.
• Want to win celebrity coats? Starting soon, EVERYONE can go the BagBank to bid on items in the Glad Celebrity Coat Auction! (All proceeds go to One Warm Coat.)

These Glad tidings will bring great joy to Coat Drive Organizers and make it possible to bring warmth to many in need this winter!

I Left My Coat...In San Francisco!

Girl Scouts from 30 area troops joined volunteers and the One Warm Coat team on the day after Thanksgiving for the annual kick-off to the San Francisco Bay Area coat drive. This "flagship" coat drive featured multiple drop-off locations, including The Ferry Building in San Francisco, BayStreet shopping center in Emeryville, Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, and Santana Row in San Jose.
Thanks to the generosity of thousands of Bay Area friends - and day-long coverage from KTVU Channel 2 TV  - WE COLLECTED  ALMOST 4,000 COATS! With such dedicated supporters, it's no wonder someone wrote, "I left my heart.." about this great city and its people.  (And the drive goes on! To find your area's drop-off location, check our "Donate A Coat" map.)

Thinking of you this Thanksgiving --

What started as a Thanksgiving Weekend coat drive in the “city by the bay” now covers the United States and parts of Canada --

Because YOU care, people in your community have warm coats to wear.

Because of YOU, children are warmer and parents worry less.

I send you my grateful thanks on this special day for being part of One Warm Coat.

Eddie Bauer: Warm as Toast From Coast to Coast

It's been quite a trek for the Eddie Bauer staff and their Airstream trailer, on their cross-country coat drive road trip. The Eddie Bauer One Warm Coat campaign revved up in Boston on October 1st and visited key cities' coat drives on the way to the "finish line" in Seattle Sunday, November 21st. And what a fnish it was! Check out their coat drive videos and you'll understand why they collected over 6,000 coats! With autumn winds blowing and winter on the way, we say a BIG thank you to Eddie Bauer staff and customers who have made it possible for people in need to stay warm as toast - from coast to coast!

Globetrotters Join GMA's Fourth Warm Coats & Warm Hearts kickoff!

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters came off the bench in a BIG way Thursday to join Good Morning America co-hosts Elizabeth, George and JuJu in the show's fourth annual kickoff of the Warm Coats & Warm Hearts campaign! While team captain "Special K" spoke to the audience inside, JuJu took cameras outside to capture hundreds of Burlington Coat Factory coats rolling off the store's trucks and directly onto the trucks of agencies from New York City! Now that's great teamwork! Check out this video, available on GMA's website.

Warm Coats & Warm Hearts on Good Morning America!

Set your TV's "reminder" and watch Good Morning America tomorrow (Thursday, November 18th) when GMA joins the Warm Coats & Warm Hearts campaign. We can hardly wait to see which special celebrity guests visit the set with coats to fill that GIANT donation box! Warm Coats & Warm Hearts celebrates its 4th year of great partnership. GMA, Burlington Coat Factory and One Warm Coat... warming communities one coat at a time... on our way to 1 million coats this season!

1 Warm Kid Shares Its Success!

The very first 1 Warm Kid campaign by P.S. for Aeropostale was a fantastic success! The team reports that 329 schools participated! Check out our pic of TV star Francia Raisa delivering coats to Graham Wyndham Beacon Middle School in the Bronx, NY. Then, go to  1 Warm Kid's photo gallery  to see more kids and celebs who worked so hard provide warmth to young people and their families this winter. Great job! We give you all an A+!

一暖かいコート The Need Has No Boundaries

Delta Airlines’ Force for Global Good is warming communities across the U.S. – and the globe. Delta staff at Japan’s Narita airport are exploring Japanese organizations who can distribute donated coats! Making a difference in the communities where they live and work (sound familiar?)… Now that’s an idea that can really take off!

Serving Two Ways!

The US Air Force Expeditionary Center has joined forces with us to hold coat drives in 3 locations! The team at the Center develop and deliver training courses for over 6,500 US Air Force members each year. This year, they’re collecting coats on behalf of the Family Crisis Center. We honor the role they play in our nation’s security and salute their extra support of their home communities!

Are YOU on the "tube?"

Seems like it was only yesterday that we first enjoyed this KooDooZ video, featuring 9-year old Addison Graham speaking from the heart about the need for warm coats. Do you have coat drive photos – or even a video? We’d LOVE to share them here and in our You Tube collection! Send photos or links to Sybil, so we can show them to our friends!

Daylight Savings Time Ends Tonight!

As most of us reset our clocks (and it starts to get darker and colder earlier), why not use that extra hour to...
  --> Open your closet
  --> Pull out that unused warm coat, and...
  --> Find a place to donate it in your community?

There are currently over 1,350 drives in our system. Why not look for one near you? 

Another Great Kickoff! Go, Team!

Joining us for the first time is General Growth Management, Inc., whose 32 shopping centers kick off their One Warm Coat campaign starting today. Team members Joan, Larinda and Georgina are working with this new Organizer and their communities’ Agencies as we strive to reach our goal of 1 MILLION COATS! Organizers, agencies and us – a winning team!

Returning the Kindness

Team member Larinda shares this note from a caring Donor. We’re honored to be able to post it now.
“After going through several years without winter coats ourselves, enduring winter weather with hoodies... we feel it is vital to ensure that people have at least one warm coat to endure the winter months. …We know how it felt and we want to do whatever we can to spare others… by providing them with one winter coat and a warm smile to show we care.”

Happy Anniversary, One Warm Coat & Burlington Coat Factory!

Yesterday, the Warm Coats + Warm Hearts campaign kicked off its fabulous 4th season with us! This year, the  Burlington Coat Factory drive goes from October 29th through January 17th. Here's to you, Burlington Coat Factory, for four fantastic seasons of great work warming lives and hearts in communities across the country! You're awesome! 

Let's Be Friends!

The inability to find a simple ball-inflating needle near home inspired the first City Sports sporting goods store. 17 stores and 27 years later, City Sports solves many greater challenges in their communities. This year, they’re offering a doubly-great way to contribute to One Warm Coat’s efforts. Added to the coats they collect in their drives, they will also donate $1 for each person who becomes a City Sports Facebook Friend during November! Warm coats and the extra resources to ship materials to our organizers? We say, “Let’s be friends!”

Modern Family's Rico Rodriguez Stars For 1 Warm Kid!

The young star of TV's Modern Family, Rico Rodriguez, recently starred in a You Tube video for the 1 Warm Kid campaign sponsored by P.S. for Aeropostale and One Warm Coat. In it, he decides whether to donate a favorite coat. Now, that’s one warm kid! (And his sister Raini’s pretty amazing, too!)

The Feeling Is Mutual!

Don Harris founded One Way Every Day to shine a light on organizations that offer people opportunities for service. His blog shows us all that a “small” help, performed by many, can have a HUGE impact! We’re so proud to have been featured on One Way Every Day – and very proud to return the favor today. We’re with you, Don. Let's make a difference together!

The Right Thing to Do

In our October newsletter, we asked readers to tell us about a time they gave a coat to someone in need. Debra Biondolillo of the Benton Franklin Community Action Committee, Pasco, WA sent us the "tale" of her first coat donation. She was in downtown Portland with a ministry team when she felt “impressed to give my coat away.” Others were concerned about her impulse to “jump out of the car and run up to the woman on the steps that had no coat...But, it was the right thing to do. I would get another coat.” Debra concluded with “I will never know what this really did for her (the woman). My hope is that it “spoke” to her and changed her life.” We loved reading this tale of spontaneous generosity. Thanks for sharing, Debra! (Have a coat donation tale of your own to tell? Contact Sybil@onewarmcoat.org.)

Have the Sweetest Day!

Sweetest Day is celebrated mostly in the Great Lakes and Northeast, but this year we’re celebrating it across the U.S. Some say that this special day is about spreading cheer to those who are less fortunate. To others, it’s the day to appreciate those whose kindness we’ve enjoyed.

So, to all of you who join us in providing any person in need with a coat free of charge (and spreading cheer and kindness), we say "Have the Sweetest day!"

Extreme Summer Impacts Fall and Winter

Brush fires, floods and hurricane winds destroy a home’s walls – and everything in it. During the heat of this past summer, while first responders provided immediate aid, we thought of the need to replace the cold weather gear that was lost. Looks like many others were thinking, too: over 450 coat drives have been set up to make it a warm fall and winter for all!

A Day and a Knight

Next Monday's Columbus Day holiday is an ideal time to tell you about Ed Collins of the Padre Pio Council of Knights of Columbus, Hammonton, NJ. Ed has just signed up to organize coat drives for his fourth year in a row! For 2010, he and his team are coordinating multiple councils in the South Jersey area and partnering with area schools "to make sure as many as possible are helped and kept warm." We’re very happy to have Ed and his team of Knights working to get an early start on helping their neighbors in need.

P.S. Meet One Warm Kid!

PSssst! There's big news at P.S. from Aeropostale. Introducing the "birth" of 1 Warm Kid!

Between October 11 and October 31, P.S. from Aeropostale stores are hosting a campaign to help kids in need and raise awareness of the growing number of families living in poverty. Click here to learn more and sign up!

Share the Warmth With Eddie Bauer!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Traveling to Boston today to help kick off sponsor Eddie Bauer’s Share the Warmth/One Warm Coat event!

Starting Oct. 1 in Boston and winding up Nov. 21 in Seattle, participating Eddie Bauer stores from coast to coast invite you to bring coats for their coat drive - and then stay and shop. During the event, shoppers who donate coats at designated stores can receive 20% off their entire purchases. Your donated coat will go straight to someone in your community who needs it. Click here for a list of participating stores and event dates.   

Eddie Bauer’s corporate creed is to “give such outstanding quality, value, service and guarantee that we may be worthy of your high esteem.” (Are they worthy of our high esteem? Definitely!)

One in Seven, One in Five

Recent headlines told the chilling news that 1 in 7 Americans is living in poverty.

It's easy to hear a headline, feel the chill, and then go on with the day. But, take a moment to do this experiment.

Stand at a street corner in your community and notice 6 other people nearby. Or sit in the bleechers with 6 other parents or friends at a school event.

Now look around. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the "1 in 7" person from the headlines is one of you.

Shift your gaze to a group of children nearby - and know that, for every 5 children, 1 is living in poverty.

Headlines can be cold. That's why the work we do together is so important. Together, we are ...warming communities one coat at a time.

No Money. Just Love and Time!

Betty Franks of the Christ Central Ministries, Inc. of Columbia, SC (one of our amazing agencies) shares these inspiring thoughts about how we all work together to make a difference.

“Registering… is one of the best things Christ Central Columbia has ever done to help the poor… It is so gratifying to know that all of us are giving to those in need. No money is exchanged between our organizations. Just our love and time given with nice coats for those less fortunate. – Very grateful in SC.”

Here's to an Outstanding Organizer!

Mary Atkins and her team know that in Reno this fall, the need is greater than ever. It is estimated that in Washoe County, where Reno is located, 4,000-5,000 people are homeless on any given night. As Director of the local Reno chapter of HOPE World Wide, Mary's role is to plan, execute events and mobilize volunteers. Her secret? Make connections "with people in each partner company or agency who care." She writes, "Most people want to do something to help the people around them. But they need ONE PERSON to step forward and start [things rolling]."


Mary has been that person in Reno since 2007. We think that makes her an Outstanding Organizer!

Happy New Year!

It's September! Happy New Year! Labor Day is a little like New Year's Day for the staff at One Warm Coat. Each September, we release a new Guidebook, update our materials and get ready for LOTS of activity for the coming fall and winter months.

And, yes, we do set "New Year's" Resolutions and Goals. This September, as we begin our eighth year as a national effort, our goal is 1 MILLION coats. Resolutions are centered around building a team of great staff members to support the ever-increasing number of coat drives.

The need for coats this year will be greater than ever. Together, with our amazing group of volunteers and increased sponsorship activity, we will make a difference in the lives of thousands.

Warming communities one coat at a time, Sherri Lewis Wood, President

Go Erin Go

We received an anonomous check for $100.00 from the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, thru the generosity and recommendation of the Go Erin Go fund.

Erin -- if that is your name -- thank you for supporting the project.  This $100.00 will allow us to send supplies (banners, labels and the Certificates of Appreciation)  to 10 coat drives.  This year the average number of coats donated has been 125 coats per drive --

You've helped more than 1,250 people for the coming year! 

They had a supply of boxes ---

We know that many of the Organizers don't have a "ready supply" of boxes -- especially BIG boxes. 

A-AAAKEY Mini Storage in Louisiana -- yes, it does get cold in the South, especially this winter -- had boxes.  Six locations held One Warm Coat drives during December and collected over 200 items. 

KooDooZ's latest video features One Warm Coat

Our friends at KooDooZ just posted their latest video -- and it's all about Addison Graham, our first Youth Advocate. Addy has been hosting One Warm Coat drives for several years and she's an amazing advocate for making a difference in your community. KooDooZ video - 3 1/2 minutes

Speaking of amazing -- KooDooZ fits the bill!  A great group who is committed to empowering youth by challenging them to find their life balance of heart, mind, body and spirit.   KooDooZ lays the foundation for middle and high school kids to understand how to articulate and act upon their own values, motivations and passions.

We're ready for the "Oprah Effect"

Ahh --- spring cleaning time.  Oprah recently tackled the project of cleaning her closet and the March issue of the  magazine lists One Warm Coat as a "featured charity" for unwanted coats.  Page 159 lists organizations that would be pleased to accept your old eyeglasses, musical instruments, cell phones and more.

Wonder what she's doing with all the items she is "tossing"?  They will be auctioned on eBay to support the Oprah's Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.  The auction runs from March 1 to March 11. 

Wouldn't it be fun to have an item from Oprah's closet AND support her Academy ---

"Filled our holiday season with warmth" --

With an e-mail signing off with the above message, I know that One Warm Coat is making an impact on the lives of folks -- even in New York City.

The Barbour Company, which makes iconic English oilcloth outerwear worn by generations of country gentlemen, has hosted One Warm Coat drives for three years at the United States stores (New York, Philly and Boston). BTW, this is the type of coat that is on my "when I win the lottery" list --

Maggie, the manager of their New York store, sent us a beautiful message with several stories from their coat drive. Each one is terrific, but here's the one I'll share:

Just before Christmas a couple came in and bought a coat and on their way out saw the sign for One Warm Coat. They gentleman asked one of our associates where the warmest coat we had in our store was. He bought it and placed it in the One Warm Coat box and then they both left the store.

Someone in New York learned the meaning of "generosity" -- was it the donor who's heart was touched, or the woman who received the coat?

The coat off your back???

When we heard this concept for a "coat drive" we were a little skeptical -- StorQuest, with 45 storage facilities in Arizona, Clifornia and Colorado, was hosting their annual managers meeting in Los Angeles and they wanted a challenge for this year's meeting.  How about a take off on "Amazing Race" having different teams compete to see who would collect the most coats by asking folks (get this -- in Los Angeles -- you know, it's not too cold there) to donate the coat off their back!

It was a great success!  Many people donated coats -- some on the spot, some went home to gather coats.  And the managers learned so much about the need for coats.

Each team took extreme measures including cheering at soccer games, riding subway lines, hopping on city busses, singing Christmas carols or whatever it took to encourage someone to give a coat. The teams collected over 200 coats literally off the backs of those walking around the streets of LA. "It gave us goosebumps to witness the generosity exhibited by the community. We never envisioned that through our efforts we would collect so many coats on our first day," says Michelle Bakva, Marketing Director.

After the meeting each StorQuest facility hosted One Warm Coat during the month of December and a total of 1,364 coats were collected.  Even better (for us anyway) 72 publications picked up this effort and wrote articles about One Warm Coat.

Here's a great video about their "Amazing Coat Drive" day. Wonder what the managers will have to do next year?

Terrific "first year" effort ---

We like to think that we've made the thought of organizing a coat drive "easy peasy" -- so it is very gratifying to receive feedback from our Organizers.

Breanna hosted her first One Warm Coat drive in November.  Her drive lasted one month and resulted in 543 COATS being donated.  She sent us us CD with pictures, a copy of the flyer that she created and comments on ways we can make the project better. 

We'll be incorporating her thoughts into our plans for the coming year.  Let us know if you have any ideas for One Warm Coat next year ---

Taxi, taxi -- can you give me a lift?

Here's Olivier Ngoran of Carrefour Pastoral de la Franchophonie, a
ministry for the French-speaking immigrant community in New York, pointing to some of the warm coats that were donated to their organization thru several One Warm Coat drives.

Carrefour solved the challenge of picking up coats in New York City with the assistance of taxi drivers who generously donated their talents and time to transport coats from donation sites.

Whether it's donating your time to organize a coat drive, donating that warm coat, or perhaps your vehicle -- there are ways to help those in need in your community.

There are many logistical hurdles that have to be solved with hosting a coat drive -- the rewards are hundreds of warm hearts.

We like what she said!

Judge Glenda Hatchett, recently posted a YouTube video encouraging folks to "take time, make a difference" by donating a coat.  She was, as usual, spot on!  


Glenda Hatchett, former Chief Presiding Judge of  the Fulton County, Georgia Juvenille Court  is the author of the national best-seller "Say What you Mean, Mean What You Say". Her syndicated show is now in its 8th season on Sony Pictures Television.

KaBOOM! makes a difference in DC ---

I hope this logo is familiar to you -- but just in case you don't know who KaBOOM! is (yes, the exclamation mark is definitely part of their logo), they are the non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.  More than 1,500 playgrounds have been built thru their efforts since 1995

KaBOOM! held their first One Warm Coat drive this past December at their HQ in Washington, D.C.  They were able to collect 67 coats and one very "warm" story about the importance of a coat:

One girl in particular found a slightly worn chocolate brown coat with a faux fur collar.  She looked at it as though it was meant for her.  As she was trying it on, you could tell it would be the perfect fit -- and of course it was.  The girl whisperered to her teacher asking for the coat to be set aside for her.  She had not come to school that BALMY 32 degree day wearing a coat, but how amazing it is to know that she would be going home with one.

Ahh --- one warm coat indeed.

Fantastic "Warm Coats + Warm Hearts" results ---

Did you get a chance to see the finale of the "Warm Coats + Warm Hearts" coat drive on ABC News' Good Morning America on January 15th? 

This year's coat drive reached numbers that surprised us all -- final count was 219,762 coats -- a whopping 24% increase over last year's numbers. Very gratifiying to have so many people take the time to help those in need --

The "Warm Coats + Warm Hearts" drive is now in it's third year.  A tremendously successful partnership between three organizations that all come together for one reason -- to help folks who need a coat.  We give thanks to the employees of Burlington Coat Factory who work hard during a busy holiday season to accept and sort the coats.  For the ABC and Disney folks who bring their talent to the project, we are amazed at how creative and caring they are.

Maureen Murphy has been working non-stop for the past 3 months coordinating the 200+ social service agencies who pick up the coats and distribute them to their clients.  If you get a chance, go over the abcnews.com and look at the finale -- January 15 finale.

She spent a little extra time after the show with her favorite weatherman Sam Champion -- go figure????

May the "force" be with you ---

With nothing else to do during the Holiday Week (right!) we took on the project of moving our "old" database into the SalesForce environment.  Remember when I attended the DreamForce Conference in October -- I was so overwhelmed with the capacity and capabilities of the "cloud" that I could not wait to get going. 

Here's one of the things we learned -- we've supported over 8,330 coat drives since 2002!  Be on the lookout for messages of "thanks" to those of you who have hosted multiple drives.

Planning for next year is already in the works and this new "cloud" environment will help us (and YOU) make it as fun, easy and successful as ever.

We've got a great team of guys at forceBrain working on the project and a big SHOUT OUT to Seth, Jason and Rick.

Way to go Megan!

Like many of you, Megan Koebert started off wanting to help others in her community.  She hosted a "family and friends" coat drive and then found that more people had coats to donate.  Her idea blossomed into a larger community coat drive when two local businesses -- Intercommunity Action of Philadlephia and Burlington Dodge -- offered their sites as drop off locations.
.
A wonderful collection of 92 coats were shared with the Sisterhood Family Crisis Center in Burlington, New Jersey.

"Our own" Jason Damato

Some of you may know this story already -- but it's so great that I am going to add the latest "chapter". 

Jason Damato, an accomplished musician, felt moved to write a song for One Warm Coat as Jason had spent many a cold night living on the streets without a warm coat.  This summer he created an animated video of the newest version of the song . (He's also a talented artist!)  Jason Damato's OWC Video

If you get a chance to catch ABC New's "Good Morning America" on Thursday, January 7th, you'll hear Jason's song with a segment on how a warm coat means so much.

Sending you good thoughts --

Sherri