These two youngsters were among over 100 Evanston school children who recently received the warm outer clothing they need from the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse.
The new coats were purchased by the club from Operation Warm, Inc., a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to distributing high quality, new winter coats to children in need.
Hats and scarves were also knitted by club members to accompany the jackets.
Half of the coats were given to children who receive significant care from grandparents in the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program run by Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, operated by the North Shore Senior Center.
The other half of the coats were given to the 80 year old Evanston School Children’s Clothing Association whose motto is; “No Evanston Child should miss a single day of school for need of warm, sturdy clothing”.
“It was a pleasure for the Rotarians to participate in this worthy project to ensure that local children are not cold this winter”, said Karena Bierman, president of the club. “For a child to miss school due to lack of warm clothing would be very sad.”
Funds for this Rotary project were raised by the Club’s annual December sale of holiday merchandise including citrus fruit, spiral-cut hams, pecans, wreaths, and several varieties of holiday flowering plants. Project funds were matched by a grant from Rotary District 6440 which consists of 72 local clubs in the northeastern portion of Illinois.
The Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse meets weekly on Tuesday morning for 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn for breakfast and a speaker.