JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Members of Marion County’s Knights of Columbus Council 11542 have recently gathered to host a jacket drive for children in need at Jasper Elementary School.
As part of a nationwide initiative founded by the Knights of Columbus organization, Tom Kimball, Andy Wikidal, and Jerry Bane grouped together to bring the drive into the Marion County area, donating jackets to children in need. Kimball explained that the county’s local council is part of South Pittsburg’s Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church, the idea of hosting the drive stemming from Wikidal’s own experience of giving away jackets as a knight in California. During the drive, all coats were divided into boys and girls jackets, seven in count for each. Any remaining jackets left over were donated to the Life Recovery Center at Cornerstone Ministry.
The Coats for Kids program began in 2009, spreading nationwide and across borders to serve the organization’s goal of donating jackets to children in need during the colder months. Since the program’s inception, over one million jackets have been donated and still counting.
Susan Guess, School Counselor for Jasper Elementary, stated the school is the largest within the county. Due to its relatively large size and student count, any donations or drives being directed to children in need is appreciated by the school faculty, especially for students left without a coat for the colder days ahead.
“Any help that we can get is always greatly appreciated,” said Guess.