For most people autumn is a beautiful time of year with all the bright colors, festive events, and crisp air. But what if you couldn’t afford a warm coat for your child to wear to school? The change in the seasons might take on a whole different meaning. You might spend your days stressing over whether your child will be warm enough walking to school or out at recess.
Thankfully, a group of Tumwater firefighters are working to prevent this from happening. Tumwater IAFF Local Union 2409 has spent the last four years raising money for Coats for Kids through Operation Warm. The non-profit organization started in 1998 and grew to include the Coats for Kids program in 2012. Every year the firefighters rotate which school will receive the coats between Michael T. Simmons, Peter G. Schmidt, and Tumwater Hill Elementary. Firefighter/paramedic Matt Somnis took over the project this year and says the community support is amazing. “People are great. You explain to them what it is – as soon as you mention a kid and putting a nice coat on them – you get support.”
Although Matt is a Tumwater High School graduate himself, with strong ties to the area, he’s worked in a lot of different places over the years as a paramedic. He’s seen first hand how kids can be affected by situations. “You really get to see the living conditions at their worst for kids. You don’t always know what’s going on at home. We go into homes and sometimes it’s pretty sad.”
The hard part is knowing which kids actually need help, so Coats for Kids doesn’t ask. “We avoid all that. We just give 100% to all the kids to avoid any social stigmas.” This year all kindergarten, first, second, and third graders at Peter G. Schmidt will be receiving coats.
Recently the firefighters visited the school, collected clothing sizes and color preferences for the coat. Matt says the coats are all high quality USA made, something the kids will actually be excited about.
The highlight of the operation is on November 21 when the firefighters distribute the coats. Many donors join distribution day too. “You get to let the kids write their name inside the coat. It makes it a lot more personal. You can see it in their eyes. It’s a big deal. You drive to work in the morning and see all these little bright coats walking down the street.” Matt adds that the kids don’t have to take a coat, and that’s ok because they can give the coat to someone else.
The program relies completely on fundraising and private donations to stay afloat. “Pretty much when this year ends, the next year begins. It’s an ongoing process to keep accumulating and getting ready for the next year. The typical elementary school has more than 650 kids enrolled, so it’s a lot. It’s constant fundraising.” Matt tells me they do many different events throughout the year to raise as much money as possible. “You finish the year and you fix things that maybe weren’t as successful and you go from there. But still it’s a great success – 400 coats we’re going to give out.” That’s 400 kids who won’t have to worry whether they will be warm enough in the morning.
With his own child now, Matt says the project really hits home and he’s proud to be a part of it. He enjoys giving back to his community in this way and helping to make the program stronger. “It’s been nothing but success and it’s only going to get better. Even with fundraising year after year, people know more about it – just more coats on the kids.
“Taking care of your own in your own community is the most important thing to us.”
So in the words of Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
If you would like to be a part of Coats for Kids and Operation Warm they are always taking donations. You can contact Matt Somnis for other ways to help as well on his Tumwater Firefighter Union 2409 Facebook page. Donations to Coats for Kids can be made by clicking here.
