January 2013
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| Message from Jennifer | 
Dear Friends,
For many of us, January is a time of looking back on the previous year and looking forward. If you're like me, you reflect on what went well and you start to make plans for repeating that success. I start by remembering what's important and looking for successes in those areas.
For us at One Warm Coat, success begins with the gathering together of people in support of their community. It is as important as the collection and distribution of warm winter coats. When one flows from the other, the community is a much warmer place to live. I thought you'd enjoy learning how some Organizers felt as they warmed their communities this winter, one warm coat and one warm-hearted coat drive at a time. These comments come from the Feedback section of the Share Your Success forms.
- "It is always an honor to assist... We all need a little help every now and then." Children's Dentistry of Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN
- "I'm humbled and overcome at the tremendous and generous outpouring of support we received." Cadillac Frank - Pasadena, CA
- "What a wonderful life-changing event for our whole family!" The McFarland Family - Ogden, UT
- "This may mark the first day I genuinely felt the true meaning of giving back." Shaquawana Wester - Cookeville TN
- "What a joy our drive was. This will be something that we continue to support. Keeping one person warm at a time!!!" The Nutro Company - Kansas City, MO
If you haven't already completed your Share Your Success form, please take a few minutes to follow the link and enter your feedback today.
With deep appreciation,
Jennifer
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| The Need | 
A Rare and Wonderful Note of Abundance
How we wish to receive more letters like this one from Veronica H. at the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth!
"I truly am thrilled to be part of One Warm Coat. We have received an abundance of coats for the clients we serve! However, at this time ...we are at our capacity. I would appreciate it if you could hide our agency information for this season. Next year we will be most grateful to be listed again. Thank you!"
What contributed to their needs being fully met this winter? The answer lies in the "who" of it all! They are the sole agency, under PA Law, that investigates allegations of child abuse, neglect and dependency in Montgomery County, PA. Their work inspired a total of five coat drive Organizers from the area to collect coats on their behalf!
- Greener Partners /Longview Farm and Market - Collegeville, PA
- EDEN Day Spa & Salon - Collegeville, PA
- KinderCare Learning Center - North Wales, PA
- GlaxoSmithKline - King of Prussia, PA
- Souderton Area High School Student Council - Souderton, PA
We are very proud to have enabled these caring people to find one another and to, together, organize their activities for the benefit of hundreds of children and their parents/guardians in need this winter.
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Getting Organized
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 The "Garment of Destiny" and MLK Day of Service
"We are tied together in the single garment of destiny..." said the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, "caught in an inescapable network of mutuality." If today is your day to make plans for an MLK Day service project, then today is the day to organize a coat drive! Since Americans began doing community service projects in honor of Dr. King's life, thousands have found their way to One Warm Coat and our "Six Easy Steps" coat drive tools and resources. The project is perfect for churches, public service organizations, scout troops - and, especially, families with young children!
Each coat drive provides an important service to the community; each donation provides vital warmth to a neighbor in need. To register today and start promoting your MLK Day coat drive, follow this link. If you cannot hold your own coat drive, but wish to donate your extra warm coat, follow this link to locate a coat drive near you. Together, we can make the warm winter coat truly this season's garment of destiny.
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Outstanding Organizers
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A New Friendship Found Through One Warm Coat
 Beth G. and her colleagues at Mercer, U.S. Inc. in Louisville (KY) organized a workplace coat drive that succeeded in ways they had not anticipated and which will last a long, long time! She wrote to tell us about her team's fun and fulfilling experience. We think you'll enjoy this "coat tale" as much as we did! "[We] were overwhelmingly surprised by the support of our Mercer colleagues in the Louisville, KY office. We collected over 130 coats and raised funds for a local housing organization in need. To raise the monetary donation, we hosted a jeans week, where employees could donate $5 and wear jeans all week. Additionally, we coordinated an "Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest!"
And here's the part about their new friendship - which is the best part of all! "(Best of all) on December 15, [we] visited Haven House in Southern Indiana to deliver the coats and monetary donation. While there, we helped serve lunch and visit with the residents. Haven House was extremely appreciative of the coats and donation. Mercer intends to continue a relationship with Haven House going forward!"
We're happy to have been part of this new friendship and look forward to hearing their news for many coat drive seasons to come!
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