VHS students are able to donate their winter wear to those less fortunate

Coats for Kids, led by the Interact Club, has been going on at Ventura High School since before COVID-19. The Interact Club encourages students to donate their coats to the Coats for Kids donation box. The Interact Club is a club that strives to make the community and school a better place with activities such as community service, fundraising and leadership led by the Rotary Club. 

Coats for Kids was started by the Salvation Army in 1983 and its goal was for all kids to have a coat during the winter season. The movement spread to many local organizations and kept spreading to schools like VHS. The Coats for Kids campaign was announced to VHS students in the daily announcements. 

Kiara Krempel-Miller ‘25 said, “I’ve seen [Coats for Kids] in ads for donation.” 

The advertisement for the event was provided for students in the VHS slideshow that teachers show most students. 

Interact Club President Emily Sehati ‘24 said, “Interact does this event every year as it is a part of our larger events during the holiday season.”

This event allows the Interact Club to help members in need in the VHS community, which is the whole club’s mission. 

“In terms of impact, I think it’s really important that our schools and students are actively involved in helping our community, especially those in need,” said Sehati. 

The coat drive is known for being donated to kids, but they accept adult sizes too. The Rotary Club distributes the coats, and the Four Seasons Cleaners clean them to make sure they are in good condition for those who will receive them next. The Rotary Club is one that is neither religious nor political. It strives to bring together businesses and communities to get more involved in ways like community service. 

Krempel-Miller said, “I think [Coats for Kids] impacts the people it reaches as well as the givers in lots of ways, like physically and empathetically.” 

Sehati and Krempel-Miller have both donated to Coats for Kids before and feel an importance in an organization that brings such gratitude to those receiving and joy to those donating.