Koats for Kidz

     In the Spring of 2008 as I was entering one of the schools I serve as an Occupational Therapist, I noticed at least six 6’ tables in the foyer loaded with clothing. I asked one of the teachers what was going on as it was an unusual sight to see. She informed me that all of the clothing was coats and jackets that had been turned in to the lost and found and not claimed by the students.  The school had sent notices to all the parents telling them they had  until a certain date to claim the coats and after that all would be donated to some service organization. Being one that is always looking for opportunities for the children on the reservation, I asked what I needed to do to sign on to the list as a service organization to be considered for the donation. I was told to just speak to the principal, which I immediately did, telling him about our group collecting blankets for the elderly and trying to provide warm clothing for them and the children at Pine Ridge Reservation, and I told him the true story of “Robert” a Lakota youth. On the spot he told me we could have them; to be there at the school at 1:00pm on the following Thursday to pick them up. When I left the school on the following Thursday afternoon, my little Ranger truck was filled with eight huge boxes of coats! After the coats were sorted through and the severely stained, ripped & ones with broken zippers were removed and the remaining were laundered and packed we had six very large boxes of coats to ship to Pine Ridge and ‘Koats for Kidz’ was born!

   Robert’s family had moved from the reservation into Rapid City, about 120 miles away, during the late summer looking – hoping – for work as there are few jobs on the reservation. Robert started school in early September in NW Rapid City and living only about 10 to 12 blocks from school, walked to/from school daily. Robert was doing well in school until sometime in November when he started being late to his home room class a couple of times a week. By January he was at least 30 minutes late every day. Teachers sent notes home, spoke with Robert daily telling him his tardiness was starting to affect his grades. When that did not stop the tardiness they threatened him with being expelled from school. Still he was late. Finally someone thought to speak with the school counselor, Ms Long Fox, who also happened to be Lakota, and asked her if she would speak to Robert. After she spent some time with Robert she learned that about  half way between Robert’s home and the school was a Hardee’s. When Robert would get to Hardee’s, he would go in and stay until he could get warm then he would go the rest of the way to school, becoming chronically late. Ms Long Fox got a coat for Robert and he was not late again. He had no coat. Being raised on the reservation, he had learned not to complain so when the teachers talked to him about him being late he never thought to tell them he didn’t have a coat. Something as simple as a gently used coat made a positive difference in Robert’s life.