Winter is Coming, and 300 Club members didn’t have the proper coats for the cold weather ahead. The Carpentersville Rotary Club saw the need and provided kids with winter coats. The Rotary Club delivered coats to each of our 6 elementary Club sites on Wednesday, November 14th. Members were excited when they were given their new coats. “I love this new jacket and color!” “It fits perfectly. Thank you for the coat,” said a few Club members.
More photos can be found from Operation Warm here.
Elgin Courier-News Article Below:
Baby, it’s cold outside — so Carpentersville Rotary makes sure area kids have coats to bundle up in
Ask Carpentersville resident Amari Lewis her favorite color and the 8-year-old’s response is swift and resolute.
“It’s purple. I like pink too but purple is my favorite color first,” she said.
On Wednesday, the Perry Elementary School student was the recipient of a new winter coat in exactly that color from the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning.
Annually, club members partner with Operation Warm, a national nonprofit, to provide hundreds of children in the community with new outerwear. Community Unit School District 300 social workers and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township help determine the need.
Perry Elementary in Carpentersville was the first stop Wednesday for distribution.
Diana Colin, unit director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township’s Perry site, knows which children are in need because she checks to make sure the kids she works with are bundled up before going outside in the winter months.
“But some only have sweatshirts or jackets that are too small for them,” she said. “It’s an amazing opportunity for them to be able to get these coats that are actually warm.”
Amari was excited to put on her new coat.
“It feels so good on the inside,” she said.
Fellow Perry student Zion Thurmand, 7, was also thrilled with the new outerwear.
“It’s so cozy,” she said. “And it’s beautiful.”
The Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning began the Operation Warm program in 2009.
Rotarian Michelle Charron was the recipient of several high-fives from students during the distribution.
“These kids are so appreciative. They really are,” she said. “And it’s wonderful to be able to fill a need.”
