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Second Coats

By Kate Prouty

As the holidays approach, volunteers from the Manhattan/Bronx Chapter give back to their community by repainting a public school’s fence and participating in an annual coat drive.

Partnering with the Manhattan-based volunteer organization New York Cares, chapter leaders gathered 16 volunteers one sunny October afternoon to travel to public school 225K in Brooklyn. After navigating an unexpectedly interrupted subway line, the volunteers faced a rusty fence surrounding the brick school. With metal brushes they scraped away the chipping paint and painted a fresh coat.

Following the success of this project, the chapter will participate in New York Cares’ 15th annual coat drive throughout December. Since 1989 the organization has collected more than a half a million coats. New York Cares distributes them to struggling men, women and children at homeless shelters, community organizations, centers for battered women and agencies serving seniors.

The Manhattan/Bronx Chapter has arranged for a month-long drop-off location at the New York State Society of CPAs’ office at 530 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan (between 44th and 45th streets). Gently used coats may be dropped off on the fifth floor Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Coats can also be brought to New York Cares’ headquarters at 214 W. 29th Street (between 7th and 8th avenues). All questions should be directed to Marcy Bajusz at mbajusz1@earthlink.net.