Rotary Clubs to Kick Off ‘Operation Warm 2015’
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Six Mahoning County Rotary Clubs — Austintown, Boardman, Canfield, Poland, Struthers and Youngstown — will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Trax Restaurant Paradise Patio on New Road in Austintown to kick off “Operation Warm 2015.”
The clubs are uniting in this fundraising effort and partnering with Operation Warm, a national program that provides new winter coats to children.
They hope to raise $60,000 this year.
The team leaders of each Rotary will identify their beneficiary organizations: Salvation Army, Operation Blessing, Robinwood Elementary School, Harding Elementary School, The Boys & Girls Club, Struthers Elementary School, and Poland Interfaith Food Pantry.
Plans include each club’s campaign and joint efforts at both the Canfield Fair and Boardman Oktoberfest.
A generous lead gift provided by Richard & Susan Sokolov of Boardman will kick off the local Operation Warm.
“A winter coat is an essential item in our geographic area,” said Scott Schulick, District 6650 assistant area governor, in a prepared statement. “A coat provides more than just warmth. It allows a child to attend school regularly [to learn and] receive meals. A new coat provides the added benefit of increasing self-esteem.”
Operation Warm Inc., a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to distributing high-quality new winter coats to children in need, was established in 1998 by Dick Sanford of Rotary Club of Longwood, Pa. Today, over 150 Rotary Clubs in more than 28 states partner with Operation Warm and have provided, to date, over 75,000 coats to children throughout North America.
The Youngstown Rotary has donated a $100 Visa gift card as a door prize for the mixer.
More information about Operation Warm is at www.operationwarmmahoning.org and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/pages/Operation-warm-mahoning-county.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
