UMO COLLEGIATE FFA PROVIDES WARM WEATHER GEAR FOR KIDS IN NEED
UMO Collegiate FFA Provides Warm Weather Gear for Kids in Need
MOUNT OLIVE – For the thirteenth consecutive year the University of Mount Olive Collegiate FFA has provided coats to needy children in the Mount Olive area. Over 400 students from Carver and Brogden Elementary Schools received coats, hats, and gloves. Santa and some helpers from UMO CFFA assisted with the distribution of the new coats and accessories.
“We are proud to have another successful year providing Coats for Kids at Carver and Brogden,” stated CFFA President Janeice Leonard, a senior agricultural education and agricultural production systems major from Lexington, NC. “The community came together again this year to support this project which is so important to our organization and its members. We sincerely appreciate the businesses, individuals, and organizations who have supported this project. We could not provide the coats to the elementary students without the help of the Mount Olive Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, and so many others who have made it a priority to give to this initiative annually. Being a part of this community service project for the past three years has helped me to appreciate my childhood, and the things I sometimes took for granted, even more.”
UMO Sophomore Noah Stewart, an agricultural education major from La Grange, NC, noted, “With the Christmas season in full swing, it is heartwarming to have the opportunity to reach out to my local community through the UMO Collegiate FFA Coats for Kids project. Being a part of the Coats for Kids event allows each of us to experience the true joy that comes with helping others.”
The Collegiate FFA works with Operation Warm to acquire the number of coats needed. Operation Warm is an organization dedicated to helping families in need, believing that every child deserves to feel warm, healthy, and valued.
“Coats for Kids, is by far the best Santa gig that I do,” said Barton Baldwin Mt. Olive Rotary Member and Coats for Kids volunteer. “It warms my heart to see the kids eyes and to listen to them ask for things for their families not themselves. To know that they will be warm this winter from the coats, hats and gloves that the UMO students gave them with assistance from their fundraiser and the Mt .Olive Rotary Club and Cabin Fever. I got very emotional telling the CFFA members how it did my heart good to see them caring for others. It brought tears to my eyes to see the children that do not have much get these gifts as it will be all that some receive.”
“We are so proud of our students for completing another great Coats for Kids year partnering with local elementary schools. It is amazing to watch this group of young people set a goal and work tirelessly to achieve it. This year, the committee added some new ways to raise funds for the project on the UMO campus in addition to increasing the support from local residents, companies and other non-profit organizations.,” said Dr. Sandy Maddox, Director of the Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center and advisor for the UMO Collegiate FFA.
All donations to the UMO CFFA Coats for Kids Project are tax deductible. Donations can be sent to:
UMO CFFA
Coats for Kids Project
634 Henderson St
Mount Olive, NC 28365
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.