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For the past four years, Allen Rotarians have provided new coats for the kids in Allen’s Title 1 schools. Last year, Allen’s Noon Rotary Club embraced a new challenge to take the Coats for Kids program to all the Rotary Clubs in District 5810. "That was an ambitious goal," said Griff Moore, "but with the tremendous support of our membership, we made presentations to 25 of the 62 clubs in the District. We covered clubs from as far south as Kaufman, west to Grand Prairie, Wylie to the east and north to Sherman. Our goal in 2008 is to cover all the remaining clubs in the district."

The definition of a Title 1 school is one where at least 45% of the children are on free or reduced lunch and breakfast programs. For these families, warm coats are a luxury and many kids just go without them. In affluent North Texas, there are hundreds of public schools designated as Title 1.

"We asked the Rotary clubs to ignite the spark of Rotary and go to every other service club and church in their community until every Title 1 school was covered," continued Moore. "We estimate at least 750 kids who would have otherwise had no coat, received a new coat in this effort."

In Allen, Rotarians went to their co-workers to bring added support to the project. The employees of Color Dynamics, Inc., in Allen went above and beyond when Rotarian and fellow employee Chip Snyder brought the project to their attention. "People just stepped forward with coats and contributions," said Snyder. "A fellow Rotarian, Shirley Mangrum, took those funds to a local store where she was able to purchase coats, hats and gloves for fourteen more Allen kids. She said she was moved to tears by our employees’ generosity."

In 2005, this issue was brought to the attention of Allen’s Noon Rotary Club by Susan Oliver; Care Coach of Boyd Elementary School. Although the community can boast some of the highest average income figures in the Dallas metropolitan area, at Boyd, more than 50% of the kids live below the poverty level.

"Five years ago, when I came to Boyd, I watched kids shivering and I immediately thought ‘coats’" said Oliver. The idea captured the heart of Noon Rotary members Griff Moore and Bill Beaty, and the Coats for Kids program was born. Rotary members bought new boys’ and girls’ coats in a variety of sizes, as well as hats and mittens, for the kids providing 40 coats in the first year of the program. Allen Morning Rotarians adopted Rountree Elementary (the other Title 1 elementary school in Allen). "Every child that needed a coat at Boyd Elementary got one. The kids were so proud of their coats, they wouldn’t take them off," continued Oliver.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional people united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help goodwill and peace in the world. In addition to the Coats for Kids Dive, the Allen Rotary Club provides college scholarships for local students, sponsors a Foreign Exchange student each year and sponsors teens to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership camp. They provide funding for Allen Community Outreach, the Foundation for Allen Schools, Send Hope and other local and national charities. For more information on Coats for Kids, contact Griff Moore, 972-727-5650 or Randy Sandifer, 972-396-1118.

Allen Noon Rotary meets every Wednesday at noon in the Community Room at Chase Oaks Golf Club. For membership information contact, visit the website, www.AllenRotary.com.