Brotherly Love: Driving Away The Cold In Chester
CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) -- Across our area, people who bought a car in September got to make a difference, and they might not even know it. Thousands of students have something new.
The Chester High School Gymnasium is rocking with the energy of a pep assembly.
"What I see on our children's faces today is pure joy. Joy and their pride," said organizer Claudia Averette, who works on special projects for the Chester Upland School District.
"There's something that they say in Chester: C-Pride," Averette said. "And I can tell you every child here today has serious C-Pride, because they're not just proud of what's going on, they're thankful."
They're thankful for the coats they're getting. The project is called Driving Away the Cold, a program by the Auto Dealers Caring for Kids Foundation.
"A warm child puts a smile on everyone's face," said dealer and board member David Penske.
Participating dealers donated a coat for every car sold in September.
"We're going to give away 45,000 new coats this year," Penske said.
Robert Tiller was picking a coat for his 3-year-old granddaughter Lanita Bradley. "She really picked it," he said, "but, you know, it's a nice color."
Second grader Jaylin picked purple. Her mother, Jayci Mollichella, says one coat can make a big difference.
"I'm one of those families where it's hard to decide whether you're going to put food on the table or whether your kid is going to get a coat," Jayci said.
Over the last nine years, the Auto Dealers Caring for Kids Foundation has given away 265,000 coats around the 5-county area, and they're all brand-new.
Claudia Everett said, "They're proud to be able to say that this is mine. No one else has ever won this coat but me."
