‘Coats for Kids’ drive nets more than 3,500 coats
Dan LaCarte of Model Cleaners presents Upper St. Clair High School Student Council with a $1,000 check for winning the Coats for Kids contest.
Stefani Sobol, campus minister at Seton-La Salle Catholic High School, accepts a $500 check from Dan LaCarte of Model Cleaners for the school’s second-place finish in the Coats for Kids contest.
Thanks to the efforts of Model Cleaners and area students, more than 3,500 people will receive the gift of a warm coat this holiday season.
Model Cleaners teamed up with the Salvation Army and schools in Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair districts as well as Seton-La Salle Catholic High School to conduct its first “Coats for Kids” drive to benefit less fortunate children and adults in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Model Cleaners kicked off the donation drive Oct. 10 by setting up collection bins at participating schools. As part of the eight-week drive, Model offered a top prize of $1,000 to the school that collected the most coats per student and a $500 prize to the second-place winner. Upper St. Clair High School won first place, and Seton-La Salle came in second.
A Model representative counted and collected coats on Friday of every week during the contest and posted results on Model’s Facebook page. Before turning the coats over to the Salvation Army for distribution, the company cleaned them, donating more than $54,000 in services over the duration of the drive. A total of 3,501 coats were collected.
“The first year of Model Cleaners Coats for Kids Contest was a great success,” said Dan LaCarte, executive vice president of Model Cleaners. “To be able to see more fortunate kids help less fortunate kids is truly a special feeling.”
Maj. Deb Sedlar, divisional commander of the Salvation Army’s Western Pennsylvania Division, said, “Not only is it a wonderful thing that over 3,500 people will receive the gift of a warm coat, but the partnership with the schools in teaching our young people about the importance of giving back is an added benefit.”
Model Cleaners is the largest family-owned dry cleaning operation in the Pittsburgh region, with 12 locations serving more than 70 communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania.