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February 2013 
In This Issue
The Need
Getting Organized
Sponsors and Special Friends
 
Quick Links
Message from Jennifer
2012 Jennifer Stockard

Dear Friends,

Measuring is in our nature. We measure our children's growth in inches and pounds, our crops in bushels or pounds gathered and our business success in items sold. When you started your coat drive, you may have planned to collect a certain number of coats. When filling in your Share Your Success form, you may have measured your coat drive's success by that number. While "coats collected" is important to us, the true measure of success can be found in your coat drive's value to your team and community. 

 

Here's how we measure that:

  • People became aware that some neighbors were enduring Fall and Winter without the warmth of a good coat. A group decided to solve the problem. 
  • People of all ages found ways to help. 
  • Each person met someone new from the community - a coat drive Organizer, a coat donor or someone from a community service Agency. Now, everyone knows more people in the area.
  • The team delivered vital warmth to at least one person in need, free of charge and without obligation. This person also now knows that someone in his/her community cared enough to make a difference.
The rewards for meeting these "measures" are many and they last a very long time. Every coat counts. Each coat drive creates the spirit of community and carries your warmth deep into the hearts of your neighbors. It's impossible to measure, but it's definitely a success! 

 

With deep appreciation,  

Jennifer
The Need

Seeing the Hidden Need  

Steve Fraser and his Loudon-Dulles Fraternal Order of Police Lode #69 coat drive team have a unique and wonderful talent! They can see people in need on the side streets and in the rural areas of their affluent community. Steve recently shared what drives him and his team to search for those in need and work to solve the problem.

 

"Unfortunately, one of the downsides of living in one of the richest areas of the country is that people assume that all its community members are taken care of. [But] we have an incredibly high number of families for whom it is difficult to find the money to spend on winter clothing when they are struggling to pay rent in this area."

 

To find these families, the team started with the county's school system. Then, they coordinated with the Herndon FOP, two area companies, numerous interfaith groups and area chapters of Rotary International. In the end, they coordinated with four area coat drives to warm the lives of hundreds of area residents.

 

Steve and his team generously attribute part of their success to One Warm Coat's Tools & Resources.  But we know that it all starts with people who see the need and then take action - people just like them!  

Getting Organized

Finding Midwinter Inspiration

All the flashy winter holidays have passed. We have gathered with family, traded greetings and taken that long break from school. So, what has inspired Organizers to keep up the good work this winter? (Glad you asked!) Here are some of our favorite reasons to hold a coat drive

  • Turning 40! Angeline W. encouraged friends to commit to "40 acts of kindness" in honor of her birthday. One act? Donate a warm coat!
  • To honor a special friend of their community, In Memory of Amy held a memorial coat drive.
  • Combine a performance event with a coat drive. The Art in Motion performance dance troop set up collection boxes "all over town" and danced to entertain their neighbors and spread the word about the need for warm coats. 
  • Collect coats at a youth sporting event! The Drake HS football team, the WSM girls basketball team and many, many other teams have held coat drives at their games. 
What inspires you? "Like" us on Facebook and tell us your story! 
Sponsors and Special Friends 

Have You Met These Sponsors Yet? 

Sponsors are companies that make monetary contributions to One Warm Coat to help us meet our costs or, sometimes, to purchase new coats. This month, we shine the spotlight on those Sponsors whose One Warm Coat programs are still in progress, so that you and your friends can learn more about them and their generosity.

 

The creative Adams & Knight Agency invites you to get Snocial with their innovative and fun virtual snowball game! (If you haven't tried this yet, you should!) "Chuck" a virtual snowball at someone today, as they say, to let friends and family know you're thinking about them and support our shared work!

 

 

While you're at the computer, why not check the balance in your My Coke Rewards account and donate some of your Rewards points? When you access the site, just click One Warm Coat in the list of designated charities to support this unique program.

 

And, in the chilly winter evening, our friends at Kahlua remind us that there's another way to virtually share the warmth. Each click on the special Kahlua Warmth Facebook page results in a contribution to One Warm Coat. (21 and older only, of course.)

 
 
Behind each inviting program is a warm-hearted team dedicated to helping us build awareness of the need for warm coats and how easy it is to help. Through their efforts in the virtual community, we are able to make a real difference on the ground in your community and thousands of others across the country. We thank them for their generosity and encourage you to get to know them, too.    

 

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