Volunteers help sort the thousands of coats donated by generous WRAL-TV viewers.

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WRAL-TV’s 20th annual Coats for the Children came to a close on December 31, 2008, and the great sorting of the coats took place at the Salvation Army headquarters on Saturday, January 11, 2009.   The result?  Between WRAL-TV and the collection stations at Jiffy Lube and Capital Bank, the campaign pulled in more than 10,000 coats.  And, spurred by the Telethon, Coats for the Children raised $68,750 to help buy more coats & winter clothing for children in need.

“I’m really pleased with this total,” said Director of Local Production Phyllis Parish, producer of the Telethon.  “As we approached our telethon day, I was concerned about how much we would be able to raise for the Salvation Army, considering the tough economic times we’re in…but our viewers did not forget those in our community who are hurting, who are cold…who are in need.  We asked and our viewers responded!  The Salvation Army will now use the money we raised to buy NEW, winter clothing for hundreds of children.”

WRAL-TV’s Coats for the Children is all about team work.  Numerous WRAL-TV employees ran the campaign & made the telethon happen.  Volunteers from across the Triangle came to work the phone banks, and several organizations joined the station in sorting the thousands of coats in the chilly warehouse at the Salvation Army.

WRAL-TV’s Weather Center team has predicted the chilly temperatures we are now seeing are about to get even more bitter.  But thousands of Triangle children won’t bat an eyelash as they bundle in their new warm coats.

“Our Telethon team feels really good when we know we’ve helped make it a warmer winter for many, many children in our viewing area,” said Parish.

Thanks to all WRAL-TV viewers, crew members and the many volunteers who made the 20th Annual Coats for the Children campaign a success despite tough economic times.  A warm smile to you all.

Thanks to Corp’s Renee Phillips for these capcom photos.