Giles' Coats For Kids Legacy

Thursday, December 21st 2006, 11:20 am

By: News On 6

Jim Giles was enormously proud of his association with the Gilesâ€™ Coats for Kids project. For more than 20 years he encouraged us to drop off a new or gently used coat at a Yale Cleaners location.

As Rick Wells shows us, thanks to Jim and the others involved thousands of families have been helped by Gilesâ€™ Coats For Kids.

Catholic Charities facility on East 11th is busy with folks shopping for coats for themselves and their families.

"We've served probably 600 families so far in the ten days we've been open, probably 5000 coats," said Tom Oâ€™Leary with Catholic Charities.
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Oâ€™Leary says they'll probably double that number before they close in mid-January.

Jim Giles had lent his name to the Coats for Kids project for 20 years; it was something he was proud of. Jim was on hand at OSU-Tulsa last year; they held a coat drive as part of their homecoming.

Jim loved the association and people responded to the call for coats, and still are responding.

A partner in the project is Yale Cleaners; customers drop off coats at Yale locations like this one near 71st and Sheridan.

The coats get cleaned at Yale's east Tulsa plant, Jerry Stevenson has sorted and cleaned nearly every one of the coats for more than 20 years.

As you can imagine, we've gotten plenty of e-mails, Julia writes, â€œI'd like to add one more thing, I couldn't afford coats for me and my boys, then thanks to KOTVâ€™s community involvement, and Jim Giles Coats For Kids, we have coats."

"It will always be known as Jim Giles Coats for Kids," Oâ€™Leary said.

And what a nice way to honor our old friend, than drop off a coat for someone else.

As Jim would have said, you can drop off a new or gently used coat at any Yale Cleanerâ€™s location through the end of December.

Condolences may be sent to rememberingjim@newson6.net