Two months ago, Lee Owen (our communications strategist for the NICENetwork) said to me that something that a woman mentioned in a meeting recently kept nagging at her. It was a topic we don't contemplate much in Florida, the land of hot summers and palm trees. The woman witnessed, here in January, kids out waiting for the school bus without jackets. Believe it or not, in Central Florida it can get to be as low as 30 degrees in the early morning during the "winter" and not warm up above 50 some days between December and February. Lee couldn't get past the nagging thought that she could do something about kids without warm coats in her town.

So Lee Googled "coats for kids" and received back "Coats for Kids, Inc." It's program that began in 2004 in Alexandria, VA. The group has put together an agreement with a manufacturer to make new coats at a low cost. Since they're founding, over 19,000 kids in 16 states and D.C. have received the coats. Each coat is just $15, made well and designed for all ages of both girls and boys up through size 18. (They also have them available for adults by the way.) An important point here is that the kids aren't given hand-me-downs or cast-off coats. They're give new coats and ones that fit them.

The next step, who would help Lee with her idea? It would take donations and physical help to manage the project. I thought, "Why not talk to our local Kiwanis Club?" I invited Lee to speak yesterday and the group was moved to action. Even the city of Eustis employees may take it on as their Christmas project now. Even better news, the kids of Eustis will win. At 45% poverty level in our county, buying a good coat for a few cold spurts, is a lot for some parents to pay out. As Coats for Kids has witnessed, the improved self esteem from a child receiving their own new coat and improved health translates into higher grades. But volunteers say that the smiles are enough payback for the effort.

The Coats for Kids program is streamlined and ready to replicate anywhere. You can find their site at www.coats-for-kids.org At the NICENetwork, we promote what works. It isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel when someone else has taken the time to work out the kinks. And there are service clubs around that are looking for ways to fulfill their missions to help kids, like Kiwanis. This project might fit a need where you are. I encourage you to check it out. Lee didn't know who and how she would do it all before she stepped out, but she did know that she had to act on that gut feel. Congrats Lee!