Auto dealers donate winter coats to Chester kids
CHESTER >> A lot of Chester kids are going to be much warmer this winter, thanks to new coats donated by some friendly auto dealers.
The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation distributed a record 51,696 brandnew winter coats to area children in need Tuesday. Of those more than 8,000 went to Delaware County kids at an event held at the Chester High School.
The effort is part of the 11th annual “Driving Away the Cold” program, which involves approximately 180 local auto dealers. One in six children in the Greater Philadelphia region lives in poverty and a warm winter coat is one of the essential items they often live without. This program aims to change that.
“We started this effort back in 2008. We were looking for a program that our dealer members could support collectively and one that really focused on improving the lives of young, area kids,” said Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation. “That first year, we distributed a total of 18,000 new coats throughout the fivecounty region of Philadelphia. This year, we will do nearly three times that. Clearly and unfortunately, the need is present, and we are committed to doing our part to help with that.”
The 180 Driving Away the Cold Dealer Participants, including 21 in Delaware County, annually conduct a pledge program to help raise funds to purchase these brand-new winter coats. The Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia also plays a part by donating $2 from every Philadelphia Auto Show ticket sold to its Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation in support of the effort. The pledged coats are then distributed through 220 social services agencies, churches, shelters and school districts in the area. Twenty-nine local YMCAs will also serve as signature coat distribution partners. The YMCAs in Delaware County received brand-new winter coats via the one-ofa-kind Driving Away the Cold delivery truck. Additionally, a unique coat distribution event took place take place Tuesday at the Chester Upland School for Arts where hundreds of children got to pick out their brand-new winter coats in person.
“A new, quality winter coat does so much more than keep a child warm,” added Mazzucola. “It provides them with a boost of self-confidence and a great sense of pride in ownership of that coat. All of these feelings ultimately help them arrive to school ready and willing to learn.”
This year’s contribution to the effort brings the program’s total number of coats given to approximately 365,000 since 2008.
Members of the public are invited to purchase a new coat for a local child in need by visiting MoreThanAutoDealers.com.
The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Auto Show. Established in 2003, the Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, supports worthwhile child-related initiatives throughout the Greater Philadelphia fivecounty region including its signature programs, the Black Tie Tailgate, Greater Philadelphia Automotive Technology Competition and Driving Away the Cold. To date, it has provided more than $12.3 million to area children’s charities. Visit MoreThanAutoDealers.com for additional details.