Donations for coat program still needed
Time is running out to coat a kid in Oklahoma’s largest school district before the temperatures start to drop.
The Foundation for Oklahoma City Schools manages the Coat-A-Kid program for Oklahoma City Public Schools. So far, the foundation has raised $49,500 but still needs about $65,500 to reach its $115,000 fundraising goal.
The deadline to purchase about 6,000 new coats for students in need is Oct. 1. The district will begin distributing them in late October.
Approximately 90 percent of the district’s 46,000 students live at or below the poverty line.
“A $20 donation makes a big difference, buys a coat for one child,” said Mary Melon, foundation president and chief executive officer. “But anyone that’s able to do more can coat a classroom or coat a school, like Larry has done.”
Larry is business owner Larry Lemon, who donated $20,500 — enough to purchase coats for every student at Martin Luther King, F.D. Moon and Edwards elementary schools, Melon said.
Last year’s Coat-AKid effort resulted in the purchase of 7,000 coats for underprivileged students. Bluesource, a vendor housed in Guthrie, provides the coats at a low cost and provides many color and size options.
Melon calls a winter coat one of the most basic of needs for a child.
“These kids don’t need used-coat-drive coats. They need new coats,” she said. “And to see their faces when they are allowed to pick out the coat of their choice, the color they want that has a tag on, it is pretty remarkable.
“And they grow. And they wear these coats out, so that’s why it’s an ongoing thing. I’ve been asked ‘why do you have to do it every year?’ There’s a reason for it. Get rid of the beat-up one.”
To assist with Coat-AKid or any other foundation efforts, go to www. okckids.com.