Diane Edwards could use a few coats, 300 to be precise.
She is heading up Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty’s Coats for Kids campaign. Coats for Kids supplies coats for area kids in foster care. They collect coats for all ages, from babies to teenagers.
“We’re looking predominantly for new coats because it may be the only thing they get,” Edwards said.
Coats and monetary donations are being collected at Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty’s two locations: 239 West Main Street here in Washington and 1645 West Arlington Boulevard Suite C in Greenville.
Edwards asks that checks be made to “cash” with “Coats for Kids” in the “for” line. She shops for the best deals she can find online and in stores and buys in bulk when she can.
“One small donation can make a monumental difference in a person’s life,” she said.
The coat drive will end Dec. 12 so that the board can deliver the coats to the Department of Social Services and have them distributed before Christmas.
“Any left over will go to the Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children,” Edwards said.
She started working with the partnership years ago, when the Washington Beaufort County Board of Realtors donated supplies for their Baby Boot Camp classes for caregivers of babies and small children.
“This year, we have been one of the proud sponsors of the Angel Tree,” Edwards said. “I like that we’re helping children because the children are our future and I think good beginnings make good adults.”
In the six years CBCRR has sponsored the Coats for Kids drive, they have supplied about 1,000 coats to local foster children.
“As Laurel Miller, Social Work Supervisor, Foster Care & Adoptions, Beaufort County Dept. of Social Services, so eloquently stated last year when speaking of the community support of the Coats for Kids program, ‘…You bring warmth and a boost of self esteem to the children in foster care by supplying them with new coats at Christmas.  Please know how greatly we appreciate this opportunity to wrap these children in love this holiday season through your donations.’”