I’m pretty sure that, like myself, we all have witnessed terrible situations in life. One that hit me hard though is the suffering of poor innocent children. I watch, while stuck in HI-way traffic as three children were walking along the frontage road. It had to be 20 degrees outside and they were dressed for spring winds. One had a hat no gloves the other two had gloves and no hat and neither of the children had a scarf. It hurt me in that moment that there was nothing I could do. Like every child born into this world, they did not ask to be here but deserve to be taken care of. I do understand that there are hundreds of situations that may stricken a family below the poverty line leaving them to struggle and scrape just to get by. That’s when it is nice to know that you live in a community that is willing to extend a helping hand and offer support when it’s needed most.

I was told about a company called Operation Warm and their mission is simple. For a child, a brand-new winter coat can be more than a coat. It can change a child’s life and empower them with greater self-confidence and increased school attendance. We manufacture and provide a thoughtfully designed collection of brand new winter coats to children in need, helping improve self-confidence, peer acceptance, school attendance and overall wellness. This year a major organization, Wells Fargo, partnered with Operation Warm to bring much-needed warmth to eleven Chicago area elementary school. The event was successful. Many parents and volunteers came out in droves to help the Wells Fargo volunteers issue coats. This is not the first time the organization has done this, in fact, the first time they delivered to just one school and now that number has shot to 11 schools. The partnership of Chicago Public School, Wells Fargo, and Operation Warm has provided 10,000 coats in a variety of colors patterns and sized to a lot of happy and appreciative children.

With so much bad news in the world, it's always great to turn a spotlight oh people who are doing their best to make things great for someone. If you would like to do your part in helping to give a needy child a warm coat for the winter you can contact Operation Warm and partner with them to start a local fundraiser. Maybe you will not get 10,000 coats distributed but every warm body matters. “Operation Warm is not a coat drive. We believe every child, especially around the holidays, deserves a brand-new, warm winter coat and the pride that comes with it.” This season, give more than a coat. Give hope, happiness, and warmth to a child who needs it most. Every $20 you give provides a new winter coat for a child in need within the United States.

Again, we are thankful for the major organizations helping out but we can all get involved. Directly from the Operation Warm website, you can cast your donation as a one-time thing or if you would like to contribute monthly you can do that also. Think of how good it would make you feel to know that you have provided 12 children with coats over the year. Be a blessing to a needy child this year. It will warm your heart to warm their body. And as alway