Koats 4 Kids - Waterloo

Thank you Maria Kuiper for the great article and Chris Zoeller for the wonderful photos. It was so nice of you to join us at Lou Henry. Koats 4 Kids has the best volunteers helping each of the kids pick out their new winter gear. Your help is SO APPRECIATED! The kids were really enjoying themselves with smiles all around. Thanks to the women that make the beautiful hats and scarves. The kids love finding just the right one to match their coats. THANKS to all of the people that made donations so our low income kids living in Black Hawk County can be warm this winter. Your caring hearts are having a HUGE IMPACT. Please share our story so we can help every child have the appropriate clothes to play in the snow with their friends. That means a lot! Julie and Bruce.

https://wcfcourier.com/eedition/page_386228e9-4231-580d-a946-6292df9465e7.html

The cold weather is here, and our Koats 4 Kids project still needs your help! We have so many kids in Black Hawk County that do not have the appropriate winter gear to keep them warm and dry during Iowa's coldest months. I met a little boy that was holding his coat shut with a pin because his zipper was broke. He didn't think he needed a new coat but after a little convincing he found a coat that he liked. One girl had a rip the entire length of the arm of her coat. Another was wearing an old coat that did not fit over her tummy. I will never forget the girl that came into the cafeteria asking if she could get a new coat. The teacher asked her to bring her old coat back and it was in very poor condition and very thin. Somehow, she got missed but I was so proud of her for speaking up. She was one happy kid after she picked out her new warm winter gear.

THANKS to all of you that have already made a donation for our kids. We are forever grateful for your gift of warmth!

Our goal this year is to try and expand our supporter list so this project will continue into the future. We ask that you pass our page to your friends and family so more people in our community are aware of our project. Every year I hear people say they have never heard of Koats 4 Kids so we are very aware of the need to get our message out and we can do that with your help.

Donations can still be made online at: www.WlooCommunityFoundation.org or mailed to the Waterloo Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1253, Waterloo, 50704. Please join us in helping our community kids.

We received this note from David Gjersvik a Counselor at Hansen Elementary School in Cedar Falls. "I am incredibly thankful for the Koats 4 Kids program and everyone who helps make it a reality. Each year this program provides essential winter gear items for students in need, and the need is GREAT. Last year K4K allowed me to distribute winter gear items (heavy winter coats, boots, and snow pants) to 48 of my K-6th grade students, who otherwise may not have these items. I've had multiple families reach out to me this year expressing how relieved they are that we were able to provide winter gear, as the financial burden of these increasingly pricey items was weighing heavy. The students love getting to try on a brand-new coat, pair of boots, or snow pants, and when I tell them that the gear is theirs to keep, the expressions and smiles on their faces are priceless. One student in particular comes to mind this year, as he (a third grader) was so grateful and appreciative of his new boots he told me how much he loved them almost every time I saw him. I know this program would not be possible without the generous support of local donors, so THANK YOU to everyone who has and will continue to contribute. You are making a BIG difference in the lives of my students and their families!"

Help us share more KINDNESS! Please join our project and make your donation today!

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Will you give the "gift of warmth" to just one child this winter?

I have witnessed kids wearing coats in very poor condition, with rips in the sleeves, a broken zipper holding the coat together with a pin, or too small they couldn't even zip it up. It feels SO GOOD when these children get to pick out their brand-new coat that feels "warm and snuggly" and happens to be in their favorite color. The kids LOVE picking out a beautifully knitted hat made by four very caring women, that goes perfectly with their coat. When they leave the room, they are smiling ear to ear, as we watch them skipping down the hallway to go back to their classroom. The teachers tell us the kids walk in still wearing their new winter gear and twirl around showing their classmates their new things. One little girl told us it was her "best day ever." Warms your heart, doesn't it?

A generous donation from you will help us give our community kids new winter gear so they can stay warm and dry walking to school, waiting for their school bus and playing outside at recess. We would really appreciate you partnering with Koats 4 Kids to make sure our low-income kids have these basic things this year.

Our school staff members really appreciate our donors that enable this to happen. Listed below are a few of their comments.:

School is hard for many students for a variety of reasons. Not having proper winter gear can make the walk to school nearly impossible during those harsh winter months for our high schoolers so some elect to stay home which creates a snowball (no pun intended) effect for missing work, being behind in credits and possibly even graduating on time. Koats 4 Kids has been a true blessing for our students and families! Providing a winter coat, gloves, hat, etc. for a student allows families to focus their limited funds on other necessities and provide our students with winter apparel so they are properly dressed. Thank you for making Koats for Kids happen each year and ensuring that many of our students are protected from our Iowa winters! Waterloo West High is grateful and thankful for the generous spirit of your donors and empathetic heart they have for our youth. Thank you! Marsha Watters, West High School

Thank you for your generous donation to help keep all kids warm! You helped support over 24 children in our building alone. Your donation allows children to go out at recess and enjoy fun with their friends during the cold months. I'm honestly not sure how we would meet this need without the help from Koats 4 Kids! Thank you! Kelly Moeller, Counselor, Orchard Elementary, Cedar Falls

We were approached by Koats 4 Kids to see if we had families in need of outdoor winter clothing. I gave her information on what we might need. She was able to get coats, snow pants, boots, hats and gloves for each of these families through generous donations from the community. The look on the students' faces and their comments when I gave them their items was priceless. Hearing them say with a big smile on their face "these are for me?" and "these are so pretty!' warmed my heart. We at St. Patrick School are so thankful for those donors who share with those in need. We are truly grateful for you and the donors! Jackie Patterson, St. Patrick Catholic School

Thank you to the people who donate to Koats 4 Kids. Our students appreciate getting warm snow pants, boots, gloves, and hats. I had a student tell me he didn't want anything. I asked him if he had winter stuff at home, and he said no. I asked why he didn't want anything. He said because he does not have money for it. I explained the program and then once I reassured him, he was very happy and enjoyed getting to pick out the items. I had another student ask me if it cost money to get the items. I said for students no but someone donates money and people buy them and give them to us for free. He said “you mean people give money for us to have snow pants and boots!?” He was surprised but very happy about this. Once we were done picking out items, he told me thank you. I have had several students tell me thank you and to tell the organization thank you. So thank you! I also have some parents who write on the note that I send home, no but thank you for this opportunity. I think a lot of our families realize how important this help is. Some who say yes will also write thank you on the note. Some students do not get to pick out items at the store regardless of what the item is, so when they get to ‘go shopping’ during our winter distribution days they get very excited and it also teaches them how to pick out items and I teach them how to read their shoe size. I have several students ask me “can I wear this out to recess today?” I say yes. This shows they are excited to wear it. We require students to have snow pants, coats, and boots to be able to play outside in the snow. Otherwise, they have to be on a little cement area. So this gives our students the opportunity for everyone to stay warm and to play in the snow. The students who cannot afford the items are no longer left out because they cannot afford the items, they can be included in all the snow fun. My office (I am a School Counselor) is by where students walk to go out to the playground. Sometimes I will have students stop in and say look at my boots or look at the snow pants, etc. They are very happy to show me they have them on and they get to go play. I also had a student stop in the other day and say thank you for the snow pants, boots, hat, and gloves. They are a quieter student and they took time to list everything they received. Yesterday getting ready for dismissal, I had a girl stop me and say, “Look, I still have my hat” and was describing her hat color, style, etc. to me. She was very excited about it. She got the hat when we were getting her some other winter items.
Amanda McNamara, Counselor, St. Edwards

At Southdale Elementary in Cedar Falls we have seen an increase in the number of students who are unable to afford winter gear every single year since I have been there, which is nine years now. There has been an even larger increase in that number since the COVID-19 pandemic. We would not be able to provide all of our students who need winter clothing the items we need on our own. Koats 4 Kids is such a wonderful resource for us that, quite frankly, we rely on each year. We can say that ALL students in our building can stay warm, stay dry, and play with their friends in the snow because of Koats 4 Kids. Our students love to be able to pick out the items they like, and that is always a fun experience for me to watch as well! Thank you so much Koats 4 Kids and everyone who donates to this amazing cause.
Emily Thilges, School Counselor, Southdale Elementary, Cedar Falls

I have come to count on getting a supply of warm coats for my most needy students. It is such a huge help to our families to have this taken off their plate. Some of my families just do not have the funds to purchase winter gear items for their children and this has always been such an amazing way for the school to help. In my building students must have a coat, snow pants, and boots in order to go outside for recess in the winter months. Getting fresh air and time for movement is important for learning and socialization. The support of this program has helped a lot of my students over the years be able to play with their peers at recess and stay warm in the cold Iowa months. Thank you so much for your support of our young people. Jeni Barry, Counselor, Cedar Heights Elementary School, Cedar Falls.

We are all blessed to live in such a caring community. Will you please donate so we can help our kids that need this winter gear.

Thank you so much for your consideration. It feels really good to "pass kindness on" especially during this upcoming holiday season.