By Stacia Erdos Littleton
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Three years ago, I became a member of the Youngstown Rotary Club. What drew me to it? First, it seemed a lot of people I knew were suddenly joining and a couple of them had asked me to as well.
I hadn’t considered it because I thought there was a requirement to attend every Wednesday noon meeting – virtually impossible to commit to with my work schedule.
But that requirement had gone by the wayside and members could now attend the meeting by Zoom. Before submitting my application, I was invited to check out a meeting at the Wick Park Pavilion. The club had funded the renovation work on the pavilion and now held its meetings there.
That first meeting I walked into felt vibrant and full of energy. People were mingling and laughing with one another. It wasn’t my grandpa’s Rotary anymore. Times had certainly changed from the days when women weren’t allowed to be members.
The group was diverse. There was a broad age range – from those in their 30s to their 80s. There were Rotarians of color and LGBTQ representation. Oh yes, and Democrats and Republicans – all getting along.
Councilwoman Samantha Turner had just ended her term and had the distinction of being the first African American president in the club’s 105-year history. Josh Prest – then Sen. Rob Portman’s district director, was at the helm. I felt at home in this community and was impressed with Rotary’s message – Service Above Self.
With a variety of service projects from which to choose, I was quickly drawn to volunteer for Operation Warm. It is a program that has provided millions of warm coats across the country for children in need.
The Youngstown Rotary has been involved since 2012, distributing nearly 14,000 coats over the years to Youngstown students. I was excited to get in the schools and help students one-on-one, as I had when I was involved in a vision program providing free eyeglasses for students.
This is now my second year serving as co-chairwoman with fellow Rotarian Dave Stillwagon and under the leadership of The Business Journal’s own George Nelson – the Youngstown Rotary’s new president.
With school quickly approaching, the Operation Warm campaign is in full swing. As the saying goes, “No money, no mission.”
The first step is to raise $20,000 to provide 1,000 coats at $20 apiece to students pre-K through sixth in four Youngstown schools: Taft, Harding, Volney and St. Joseph’s. There are many kids in need in Youngstown and having a warm coat offers physical and emotional warmth. Not having a warm coat can also be a barrier to getting to school on cold days.
While it takes some work and coordination with the schools to get the estimated sizes of 1,000 students, distribution day makes it all worthwhile! Our club got involved with this campaign 12 years ago, when Rotarian and past District Governor Deb Esbenshade drove the initiative at the district level.
Deb still handles the ordering. Each year, it takes several truckloads to get the boxes from her garage to each school. The coats are laid out on tables from the tiny size 4 to the adult large for the biggest kids – all in a variety of colors.
As the classes arrive, the kids line up in the gymnasiums with each Rotary volunteer taking their hands and leading them over to the coats. Often their eyes will widen – “Can I try on that pink coat?” Or, “Purple is my favorite color!” Or, “That black with the neon green trim is cool. Can I try it on?”
I remember the face of one little girl when we asked her to take off her new pink coat. Her smile vanished. “Oh, I have to give it back?” she asked.
We explained we just needed to write her name in the coat, that it was hers to take home. The smile returned as she proudly wrote her name in its collar, hugged it and probably wore it the rest of the day.
At the end of the day, several students returned to the gym with crayon-colored pictures of kids in purple, pink and blue. And hand-printed notes thanking Rotary for their new coats. (Several of us also received some warm goodbye hugs.)
This year, with rising costs, we need more help raising funds for this project. Penguin City Brewing will be spotlighting Operation Warm leading up to its Oktoberfest Sept. 21. We thank Rotarians Richard Bernacki and Aspasia Lyras Bernacki for their support. Anyone interested in making a $20 donation to buy a coat for a Youngstown student can stop by Penguin City or go to YoungstownRotary.com. When you see the smiles on their faces, you know the tagline is true: Operation Warm is “More than a Coat.”