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 Message From Sherri
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We've heard from friends in every "corner" of the country this month, sharing their great successes and fun stories of coat drives or asking how to get involved. As I read your emails and Facebook posts, I noticed a theme. It's the partnerships that we and our friends enjoy that make it all possible.
This month's newsletter spotlights friends and supporters whose strong connections in their communities have made the difference. In each situation, just one person had an idea - and then caring partners helped turn it into a reality.
I see you in these stories, working month by month, coat drive by coat drive, to make warmth a reality in your community for those in need.
With heartfelt thanks,
Sherri
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| Outstanding Organizers |
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How Sweet It Is!
 Proud Workplace Organizer Dwight Wellborn sent us this great photo taken during his team's recent coat drive. Dwight and his coworker Verna definitely know how to add fun to a workplace event! Their employer, the Wm. Wrigley Manufacturing Company in Gainesville (GA), encourages associates to work on behalf of others. (And we encourage people to have fun while doing it!) Workplace coat drive teams, in partnership with their companies' leadership, make a huge difference in their communities each year. Thanks, Dwight, for showing us a way to make a workplace coat drive a "sweet" success.
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Amazing Agencies
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 Their Partnerships Empower Students
Becky Rivera and her team at Project Hope - Manor ISD (TX) understand that great need can keep students from reaching out for assistance. They also know that showing young people and their families the way to build strong partnerships can make a huge difference in their lives now and into the future. This year, the Project Hope team worked with students and Warm Coats + Warm Hearts partner Burlington Coat Factory to distribute donated coats throughout South Austin. Congratulations to the whole Project Hope team! Students learned the value of a good partnership AND that caring people in their local community are working every day to provide support for those in need.
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| Spotlight on Our Sponsors |
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Warm Coats + Warm Hearts = 1 Million Coats!
 In the thrilling final moments of ABC TVs Good Morning America on February 15, Burlington Coat Factory announced that the Warm Coats + Warm Hearts coat drive had collected its 1 millionth coat! For our national coat drive, Warm Coats + Warm Hearts, "it" really IS all about strong partnerships. For the past five years, we have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with the anchors on GMA to raise awareness of the need for warm coats. We have developed deep appreciation for the Burlington Coat Factory staff (at HQ and in 460 stores across the country) who collect donated coats and ensure that local agencies receive them in a timely manner. And we have built and come to rely heavily on the network of hundreds of agencies who have joined the effort to distribute coats in communities everywhere. A wild and enthusiastic thank you to all of Warm Coats + Warm Hearts' partners for helping us dream big - and make that dream a 1 million coats reality!
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