WRAL-TV s Coats for the Children Campaign Celebrates 5 Years of Keeping Children Warm!

WRAL-TV s Coats for the Children Campaign Celebrates 25 Years of Keeping Children Warm!

The 25th Annual Coats for the Children Campaign to Provide Warm Winter Clothing and New Toys to Local Children Officially Kicked Off Saturday, November 23

WRAL-TV celebrates the 25th anniversary of Coats for the Children. This annual community service campaign to collect warm winter clothing, money and new toys for Salvation Army families in need has become one of WRAL-TV's signature community service events. Now through December 31st, WRAL-TV invites the public to donate new or gently used coats and new toys at participating Jiffy Lube and First Citizens Bank locations.

Participating First Citizens locations are in Apex, Cary, Clayton, Chapel Hill, Durham, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Knightdale, Pittsboro, Raleigh, RTP, Wendell and Zebulon. Participating Jiffy Lube locations are in Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Durham, Fayetteville, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Goldsboro, Raleigh, Spring Lake, Wake Forest and Wilson.

WRAL is asking the public to donate clean coats and other winter clothing items, including gently used gloves, hats, and new long underwear, t-shirts and socks to completely outfit a child for the winter months. Any size coat will be accepted; however, larger sizes for teens and infant sizes are in particular demand.

WRAL is also collecting new toys again this year. During the last few years, the Salvation Army has seen a huge increase in the number of families signing up for its December Toy Shop' program. Donations are needed to help reach their goal to provide two new toys to each child whose family has requested help through the Salvation Army's Toy Shop.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of WRAL'S Coats for the Children campaign, WRAL launched Give $25 on the 25th a fundraising effort on the 25th day of October, November and December. In Wake County alone, there are 9,000 children who do not have a winter coat. WRAL's Give $25 on the 25th goal is 2,500 supporters giving $25 to keep thousands of children in our viewing area warm during the cold winter months. All of the money raised goes directly to the Salvation Army to buy new coats and other warm winter clothing for local children and families in need.

Each of us grabs one on the way out the door each morning, but never think that there are hundreds maybe thousands of children in our area who do not have a coat, said Major Pete Costas, Area Commander of The Salvation Army of Wake County. The Coats for the Children Campaign is not only essential to these children but it is life changing. The warmth a coat provides goes far beyond protection from the cold. It provides hope to that child in their time of need."

On Friday, December 13th, WRAL-TV will broadcast its 25th Annual Coats for the Children Telethon, raising money to buy new, warm winter clothing and undergarments for Salvation Army children in need. Telethon operators will accept pledges from 6:00am until midnight. The telethon includes half-hour specials at 1pm, 7pm and 11:35pm.

Credit card donations can be made online now through December 31 by going to WRAL.com and searching keyword Coats. Other information such as coat drop-off locations, participating Salvation Army branches, telethon thank you gifts, and general campaign details can also be found on WRAL.com. Donations can also be made with your phone. Text WRALCoats to 80888 to donate $10 to the Coats for the Children campaign.

To celebrate Raleigh Little Theatre's 30th Anniversary of Cinderella and WRAL's 25th Anniversary of Coats for the Children, RLT is donating 30 percent of every ticket sold for the Dec. 12th performance to the Salvation Army/Coats for the Children. The donations will go to help provide families in need with warm winter coats.

Since 1989, WRAL has collected 143,000 coats and raised $1,379,800 (nearly 1.4 million) to provide winter clothing for Salvation Army families.

WRAL-TV is so grateful for the generous members of our community who contribute to Coats for the Children. For a quarter of a century, it has been our privilege to work in concert with the Salvation Army helping those in need, says WRAL-TV Vice President and General Manager Steven D. Hammel.

WRAL-TV thanks its community partners, Jiffy Lube and First Citizens Bank, for their support of this project.

Thanks to WRAL-TV's Jay Yovanovich for this capcom story & to WRAL-TVs Bill Burch for this capcom graphic.

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POSTED: November 29, 2013

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