E. Norriton, Pa., October 8, 2010 – This month, the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation, along with 150 of its dealer members, will distribute approximately 20,000 brand new winter coats to less fortunate children living throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
The 20,000 coats are part of the Foundation’s third annual Driving Away the Cold effort. Developed in January of 2008, this philanthropic initiative has one simple but very important mission—to provide new winter coats to area children in need so they can remain healthy, attend school regularly and develop strong self-esteem.
Every year, the Foundation jump starts the annual program with a donation of 10,000 new child-size coats to the overall effort. The Foundation then invites area auto dealers to continue the giving by participating in a special month-long campaign, titled WE PLEDGE. Through this supplemental program, 150 participating dealerships pledged an additional brand new winter coat to a child in need when a vehicle was sold on-site during the month of September. An additional 10,259 coats were donated through the WE PLEDGE campaign, making the grand total for the 2010 effort top 20,000.
“This initiative has truly grown in both size and scope,” said Scott Lustgarten, president of the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation. “This year, 30 more auto dealers in the area joined the effort. Further, we have welcomed the Y organization to the program as our premier coat distribution partner. Driving Away the Cold has evolved into an all-around community effort and we are very proud of it.”
The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation selected the Y organization as the premiere coat distribution partner for its 2010 program because of its deep rootedness in the community and its ability to properly identify children in need.
“At the Y, our cause is strengthening the foundations of our community. We work with area school districts, social service agencies and more quite frequently to help those in need,” said Denise Day, president and CEO of the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley Association. “When we learned about this program and what these auto dealers were doing for members of their communities, we wanted to get involved immediately. We are delighted to be supporting this initiative.”
The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation was able to secure the 20,259 coats for distribution this month via Chester County-based Operation Warm and its respective coat suppliers. To date, the Foundation and its dealer members have provided coats for more than 56,000 of the Delaware Valley’s neediest children.