When the Boss Becomes the Hero!

National Bosses Day is Sunday! That makes today perfect for sharing the great news that work place coat drives have put us over the 500-coat-drive milestone for this season! This week, employers like Crutchfield (VA), Jiffy Lube (MT), The Brace Place (NJ) and the Waterbabies Aquatic Program (QA) have registered their coat drives. To caring business owners, managers and decision-makers who provide the advertising, space and resources to collect and deliver coats in their communities, we say, "You're our heroes (Sunday and every day)!" Thank you!

At Our Roots...

We're sometimes called a national movement with a "grass roots" base. We rather like that description! At our "roots" are the best community service agencies around, many of which are in small towns. For example, coat drive Organizers in the Princeton, IL area (pop. 7,500) can partner with the Zearing Child Enrichment Center, Inc. (ZCEC) this year to deliver warm coats to their neighbors. ZCEC is a service-oriented nonprofit agency that serves children through 12 years of age. They registered with One Warm Coat with the hope that coat drive Organizers will find them and be able to provide much-needed warm coats for the children they serve. Working together to warm communities... one coat at a time. Guess you could say, "It's in our roots!"

In Gratitude

Today is World Gratitude Day, a day established by the United Nations Meditation Group to encourage people everywhere to express appreciation for the great things that individuals and groups do. Each day, we are grateful for our friends and supporters, who work to make a warm coat available - free of charge - to everyone who needs one. Have we told you lately that we LOVE all you do? (We do!)

In a "State" of Good (Last Day for the Tom's of Maine Contest)

The Tom's of Maine 50 States for Good competition ended yesterday. Whether we share the top monetary prize or not, we will definitely finish in a "state" of good fellowship and growing support! To all of you who joined us on this contest journey, we send a heartfelt thank you. As we turn our focus to Fall and Winter coat drive activities, we will remember your friendship and look forward to working together to warm communities...one coat at a time.

It's National VOLUNTEER Month! Sending our love!

BIG hugs & warm congratulations to our FABULOUS volunteers! Over 2,500 Organizers led coat drives during 2010 and collected over 750,000 coats! We try to tally the number of coats collected each year - but we absolutely lose count of all the deeply committed people who volunteer for coat drives across the country. We know 1 thing for sure: An amazing, caring volunteer touched every coat that was donated, counted, bagged, delivered & distributed! (If YOUR volunteers haven't yet received Thank You certificates, why not go to One Warm Coat, Share Your Success & request them now?) During April & all year 'round, we are deeply thankful for our incredible dedicated network of volunteers. You make all our work possible.

Go "Green" With Us This Earth Day!

It's Earth Day! What began in 1970 as a grass roots environmental movement has grown into an international way of life - and you can join the effort today without even leaving the house! One easy way to catch the spirit of the day is to open the closet door, take out the warm coat that no one is using and find a place to donate it. Call it "conservation" or "going green." In honor of reducing, reusing and recycling this Earth Day, we at One Warm Coat ask "What's in YOUR closet?"

A Place to Tell YOUR One Warm Coat Story!

We love reading notes & comments from our volunteer organizers & agencies! Here's another place where you can share YOUR experiences and help others discover One Warm Coat.  GreatNonProfits is a site where experienced volunteers help other people learn about trustworthy nonprofits that are making a difference. During April, they're encouraging people to post reviews and ratings regarding Children & Family nonprofit activities. Did your family, school, scout troop or youth group donate coats or hold a coat drive? Then, YOU are a perfect reviewer! Just click HERE to start & then click Write a Review. (Thank you for helping us tell others how easy it is to make a difference. Can't wait to read your posts!)

Think We're Great? Let Others Know!

You're invited to help us spread the word about One Warm Coat through GreatNonProfits. Think of them as a "rating service" for the non-profit world -- like Zagats or your favorite movie critic. Here's a chance for YOU to tell folks why you like One Warm Coat! Just click HERE to read our most recent reviews and write one of your own! Thanks, GreatNonProfits, for this unique opportunity to share our story across the digital world!

Honoring "Clara Bartons" Everywhere: Red Cross Month

Back in 1881, Americans responded to Clara Barton's call to action with the publicity and the funding necessary to launch the American Red Cross. Over the years, the organization's supporters have rushed to assist others during catastrophes the world over. In 1942, Pres. Franklin Roosevelt became the first to designate March as Red Cross Month. Today, we lead a standing ovation to honor the Red Cross and the millions of "Claras" everywhere who continue to volunteer and provide funds so that others may find safety and comfort in difficult times!

Holding Our International Neighbors In Our Thoughts

Today, news reports from Japan remind us that harsh conditions can impact us all without notice. As I watch the news, I am taken with the dignity, discipline and spirit of sharing among the Japanese people. It is a spirit we discovered last fall, when the dedicated employees of Delta Airlines Naruta office held our first Japanese coat drive.

Now, many international aid agencies - in the U.S. and elsewhere - have sprung into action to deliver critical supplies to those in need. The American Red Cross is equipped to handle donations from the United States to support relief activities in Japan.

Once again, we are reminded that the world is, really, one community - and our thoughts are with our neighbors enduring hardship across the globe.

Albert's Story Featured on Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog!

The "small world" of Albert's Story continues to grow! This month, our tale of the need for warm coats and the people who solved the problem was featured in Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog! It was just a few years ago that we first met and worked with Kivi Leroux Miller to learn new ways to inform others of the need for warm coats. Now, our little story joins others as an example of how a simple tale can make people aware of ways they can help people in need in their own neighborhoods and across the globe. Thank you, Kivi, for the work you do to teach nonprofit organizations the skills they need to fulfill their missions! We continue to use what we've learned every day!

Girl Scouts: Helping Others and Inspiring US!

Girl Scout Day is Saturday! As a Life Member of Girl Scouts, I am very proud of the support that One Warm Coat enjoys with the thousands of girls and their leaders and families across the U.S. who work to "help people at all times." Today, I recall talking with the Girl Guide whom I met last fall. We talked in awe of the time she met with Lady Baden Powell many years ago. 

This amazing woman attended the coat drive with her Girl Scout granddaughter -- it was their way of carrying on the joyful community-centered work that has made a difference for hundreds of thousands of people for almost a hundred years! Smile with us this Saturday (March 12th) as we honor the compassion and commitment of Girl Scouts everywhere!

We Have a "Sixth Sense" About Their Coat Drive Success!

Karen M. and the owners and staff of the Alpine Shop in MO have an innate "sense" of how to succeed with a coat drive! These AMAZING organizers just completed their SIXTH incredible coat drive! When asked for their secrets, Karen told us about generous coupons given to all donors and special prize drawings - and she credited the retailer's great staff and awesome customers. She also said, "We explained how important this project was. We used our Facebook page and our website to [tell] about the organizations who received the coats." One day they had so many coats, their staff created a line from inside their building all the way outside to pass the bags out to waiting vehicles! The Alpine Shop's coat drives will continue to make winter easier to bear for communities in the St. Louis and Columbia areas for many years to come - we just have a feeling about that!

Now That's Connectivity!

Isaiah G. Cooper of KMFP (a food pantry) in NJ, recently emailed appreciation for their connection to the Hazlet Business Owners Association and other organizers this winter. He added “because of the coats …from you and other coat drives, we were able to provide warmth for those that are less fortunate.” Thanks for sharing, Isaiah. We LOVE being part of the connection between Organizers and Agencies – the relationship that delivers warm coats to the people who need them the most!   

We'd Like to Thank the Academy...!

We'd like to thank ...TechSoup  and the wonderfully wired (and wireless) people who included Albert's Story in their recent awards for the 2011 Digital Storytelling Challenge. TechSoup was founded in 1987 on the belief that technology is a powerful enabler for social change. We agree! We are so touched by the top prize winner Mountaintop Library Expands Horizons (Room to Read). We think you will be, too! Thank you, TechSoup, for guiding us and other nonprofits across the globe in the creation of deeply meaningful programs that support our causes.

The more we get together... the WARMER they'll be!

We LOVE it when other groups' efforts connect with ours - and when ours connects to even more groups - to make warm coats available to those in need! Meredith C., Editor-In-Chief of the Compassion Fashion Project blog recently shared that the 10/20 Project in AR gave Compassion Fashion coats for their Hope Cottage in Searcy. "We feel so lucky," said Meredith, "to share in [this] wonderful coat drive." She added a "big thank you to Burlington Coat Factory and Old Navy of Arkansas for their participation." By our math, that's FIVE degrees of connection, working together to meet the need for warm coats! Fantastic!

Spotlight: Over-Achievers in New York!

Nancy C., the coat drive organizer for the Syska Hennessey Group in NY, happily shared that her firm's coat drive collected 3 times as many coats as originally hoped! Because they collected so many items for children, women and men, their drive benefited two agencies in their area! Nancy shared that it "was a wonderful experience." We agree, Nancy! It IS wonderful to witness generosity that exceeds our dreams -- like the results of your coat drive! Just seeing the boxes and boxes - and boxes - of your coats brought a HUGE smile!

Warming Their Communities... TWO Ways!

The Utah Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing recently showed us how they make things warmer in their communities two ways! They work to provide deaf and hard of hearing people with the cutting-edge resources necessary to navigate their community - and they signed up to hold two coat drives in support of Taylorsville and its surrounding area! We are proud to be part of the critically important work they do to bring warmth to those in need  - and we thank Program Manager Eleanor McCowan for telling us about it and for providing us with this unique American Sign Language phrase, which we proudly share with you!

Warming Hearts, Warming Lives!

Professor Patricia Halpin and her students are merging science with community service to make a big difference in NH this winter! Through the UNH Manchester’s Diversity of Life course and Warmth From the Millyard program, students learn that a body temperature reduction of only 1 or 2 degrees leads to disorientation, lowered reaction times and dangerous hypothermia. They also learn how to solve the problem. (With warm coats, of course!) Thank you, UNH Manchester, for bringing together the science of warmth and community service in an engaging and educational way! You’ve earned an A+ in our book! (P.S. We LIKE them on Facebook. We think you will, too!)

Be Our Valentine!

One legend says that the original Valentine was a caring man who wrote warm words of encouragement on small notes and gave them to those in great need. Why not let your donated coat speak for you this V-day? As everyone knows, a warm coat is "worth a thousand words" (and much more) on a cold winter's day!