What do precious gems and warm coats have in common? We say it’s the “giving” …that starts in the heart! Recently, the International Gem & Jewelry Show warmed the DC/Alexandria area “…one coat at a time…” as part of a unique coat drive. All coat donors received free admission to the show. Later, donated coats went directly to the ALIVE! “private safety net” in Alexandria. This “gem of an idea” provided area residents with a unique opportunity to view precious jewelry and spread precious warmth at the same time! (A coat drive at a gem and jewelry show… sounds like the perfect setting to us!)

Today’s holiday honoring the birth of two beloved presidents is the perfect opportunity to share a birthday coat tale about a special family in Maryland. What do you give the 2-year old who has “everything?” Well, if you’re friends with young Jacob, you give a clean, gently worn warm coat! Jacob had a birthday party and the guests had tons of fun – and many nice, warm coats were collected by the time it was all done. Thank you, Baumwald family, for inviting One Warm Coat to join the celebration. The practice of caring for others can become an important family tradition. We are especially warmed by the example of giving that you are providing for your son.

Our national Warm Coats + Warm Hearts coat drive celebrates 1,000,000 coats collected and given away – and a coat from Nicki Minaj, one of today’s hottest music stars, made it happen! As One Warm Coat President Sherri Wood says, “We could not be more excited about the results of this year’s drive and reaching the one million coat milestone. Each year we’re touched anew by the responsiveness of those who are so willing to give back and provide warmth to someone in need in their community.” Click this link to watch the whole celebration … and know that YOU and your warm coats have made it all possible!

Check out ABC TV’s Good Morning America today for BIG NEWS from our Warm Coats + Warm Hearts partner Burlington Coat Factory! In this fifth year of our national coat drive, the staff at Burlington stores across the country have worked extra hard with our team to ensure that every coat donated goes directly to an agency in the home community. And our super-helpful agencies have worked extra hard to get those coats into the hands of the people who need them the most. We’re hoping to collect and give away 1 million coats this year! Will we reach our goal? Watch and find out!

Current frigid temperatures in many states remind us of the work that Professor Kate Hanson and her students are doing at UNH Manchester! They’re merging science with community service to make a big difference in area communities. Through the university’s Community Leadership course and Warmth From the Millyard program, students learn that a body temperature reduction of only 1 or 2 degrees leads to disorientation, lowered reaction times and dangerous hypothermia. They also learn how to solve the problem. (With warm coats, of course!) Congratulations, UNH Manchester, for bringing together the science of warmth and community service in an engaging and educational way! You’ve earned an A+ in our book!

Got a hug to share with someone you love? Why not send it along with your Valentine every day – in the form of a new warm coat? …And then spread the warmth in your community by donating that gently worn “old” coat to a coat drive near you! To make it extra easy, our Warm Coats + Warm Hearts national coat drive partner Burlington Coat Factory is offering a 10% shopping discount to everyone who donates a warm coat at one of their stores, through the weekend and into next week! Just take your sweetie’s old coat (or your own) to the store and donate it. Then, head on in to shop. The coats you share are the hugs they’ll wear in warmth and health each day.

Emily Callahan is a huge fan of our annual Warm Coats + Warm Hearts coat drive with partner Good Morning America. Now, she’s also a huge fan of her nephew AJ from Charlotte (NC) – and so are we! Aunt Emily shares this sweet story about 7 year old AJ and his amazing, spontaneous coat drive: While driving with his mom, AJ saw some homeless people who had no coats. He was so moved that he enlisted his mom’s help in making flyers to tell others about the need – and then put the flyers into his neighbors mailboxes! The result? AJ and his spontaneous coat drive collected nearly 50 coats! Way to go, AJ! Your great big warm heart has made a huge difference for your neighbors in Charlotte. We are so proud to know you! (And thanks, Aunt Emily, for sharing this heartwarming story with us.)

We’d like to see Wendy Lynch’s calendar! This winter, while caring for family members and working more than one job, she found the time to be a BIG part of the coat drive held in the Tilton/Franklin area (NH). How did she do it? With a “little” help from her friends! Wendy’s pal, Marilyn Ladew, wrote to tell us how Wendy and her team collected warm coats from area churches, book groups – even a local karate school – to reach their goal. Thanks, Marilyn, for reminding us that good friends make it possible to make a difference for others, especially when time is tight!

We are thrilled to announce our brand new collection of warm and whimsical Share the Warmth eDonation Cards for you to send when you make a donation to One Warm Coat in honor of someone special. Who’s your someone special? Perhaps… a Valentine who loves to share, a friend who lives afar (and you can’t be there) or a young person who’s learning how to care for others. All donations help us maintain our online tools and resources, make others aware of the need for warm coats and support coat drive Organizers across the U.S. If Punsutawney Phil (the famous groundhog) is right, there’s plenty of cold winter weather ahead of us, and many of our neighbors will need warm coats. We invite you to check out our new eDonation cards today! (And then visit us on Facebook and tell us which one’s your favorite!)

It’s music to our ears! Our friends at NYC’s Hard Rock Cafe visited the set of Good Morning America recently with hundreds of coats from employees and friends! We thank all of GMA’s neighbors and friends, who have joined the anchors on set to deliver thousands of coats this season. Each day brings Warm Coats + Warm Hearts closer and closer to the one millionth coat that we’re dreaming of! And, Thank You, Hard Rock-ers. Your donation to Warm Coats + Warm Hearts shows us all that it’s cool to make others warm!