Hartland Teachers, Support Staff Collecting Winter Wear for the Needy

Hartland teachers and support staff are encouraging students and their parents to clean out their closets in support of a coat, mitten and scarf drive that benefits the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLSHA).

Donors have until this Friday to drop off their coats at any drop box, which can be found at any Hartland school.

The push to help provide wintertime warmth has been an annual event for the past six years and is sponsored by the Hartland Education Association (HEA) and support staff unions, according to Michele Cannaert, the HEA communications director.

“Traditionally we had it (coat drive) in the month of November along with the Gleaners,” Cannaert said. “But we had OLSHA tell us that it was really too late because by then they had all these people who needed a coat.

"We probably collect well over 150-200 coats. And we have the hats and gloves as well. And it’s a variety. I mean, people bring kids stuff, we have adult stuff. We have some people who go out and buy a new coat. Some people will just donate some extra funds and that money this month will go to OLSHA."

The annual coat drive is part of the HEA’s “Power of One” program, where Hartland teachers are asked to donate $1 each week and participate in one event throughout the year.

“We started it (Power of One) because we decided we wanted to have a positive light,” Cannaert said. “There were things going on in education where people weren’t seeing the positives things. … We were doing all these things in our community but not getting it out there, so we decided to start an outreach committee. The idea behind that was we would get ourselves visible in the community.”

Every month throughout the school year, the HEA chooses a different charity or organization from places like the Salvation Army to Big Brothers Big Sisters to Relay for Life, for example, and dedicates that month to fundraising and participating in events.  

“We sponsor it, we do it,” Cannaert said. “We encourage our members to do the 'Power of One,' but then we also open it up to the community.”

In November, the HEA will focus their efforts towards Gleaners Food Bank with several different ideas of how to help raise money and food being discussed and organized.

“Our twist is we’re going to ask parents to bring a canned good to conferences,” said Cannaert.

The coat drive, however, is something that students in Hartland schools can actively get involved with, according to Cannaert, who said that teaching kids to be philanthropic and giving is an important lesson to learn.

“What’s neat about this it they take an ownership of bringing it in and putting it in the box,” said Cannaert. “And it just lets them know that not everybody has it as good as you. … You may have an extra coat, but they don’t even have a coat.”