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!