Hearts on their sleeves: PVCC students collect haul of coats

Students in Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Volunteer Club earned a Student Team Innovation/Service Award for collecting more than 130 coats last winter that were distributed through local community centers.
The award from the Virginia Community College System recognizes teams of students who make a positive impact on their campuses and communities.
Student Franklin Brown came up with the idea after noticing that some area children were outside in cold temperatures without proper clothing. He asked the children where their coats were, and the youngsters replied that they didn’t have any.
That answer spurred Brown to present his idea for a coat drive to the Volunteer Club. The newly organized club went into action by promoting the drive on campus, setting up collection bins and taking donated washable coats home to wash.
Rudy’s Dry Cleaners helped the students’ efforts by laundering the donated dry-clean-only coats for free.
Volunteers expected to collect about 35 coats, but hauled in more than 130 instead.
That was last year’s drive. This year’s s effort has collected more than 100 coats so far, and   donations continue to   come in.