Coat Project a Holiday Success

WRAL-TV5 viewers dug into their closets and their pockets to make the 1997 "Coats for the Children" project a resounding success.

The project is also sponsored by Jiffy Lube, 360 Communications and the Salvation Army.

Each year the television station asks people to donate their children's outgrown winter coats and jackets. Because kids grow so fast, they are usually sized out of their clothing before the items come close to wearing out. The donation and redistribution of these good coats and jackets to needy children ensures that a lot of little bodies will be warm at school bus stops this winter.

In addition, $50,777 was sent in by viewers. That money will go for gloves, mittens and hats so the youngsters can be totally bundled up.

In addition to promoting the coat project in newscasts and public service announcements, WRAL-TV5 also staged some mini-telethon segments Friday, with phone banks manned by volunteers.

More holiday spirit was on tap over the weekend, as a Santa Dome train pulled into the Raleigh station. For $2, folks could tour the gaily decorated yuletide train, and kids had their photos taken with Santa.

Santa had taken time out from supervising his toy-making elves to take the train ride. All the money raised Saturday went to Easter Seals.

Just as much a part of the holiday celebration as Santa are his reindeer. Usually, kids just see them in picture books or in movies, but South Hills Mall in Cary offers some real-life experience.

People are welcome to drop by the shopping center to see some live relatives of Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donder and Blitzen.

To reach South Hills, exit from U.S.1/440 at the Walnut Street exit. The shopping center is on Buck Jones Road, in the northwest quadrant of the interchange.