02/05/2020
Coat Angels is thrilled to announce we’re merging with Cradles to Crayons!
For 13 years, Coat Angels has been the scrappy little not-for-profit that could. We’ve put tens of thousands of coats on tens of thousands of children and together, we’ve done amazing work.
Our all-volunteer model enabled us to direct our resources to children, which is extraordinary. But it also severely limited our ability to meet a tremendous, growing need and made the work unsustainable.
We are beyond thrilled and fortunate to have found a partner in Cradles to Crayons. Both Coat Angels and Cradles to Crayons are committed to serving Chicago children living in extreme poverty and it is our hope, that by combining resources instead of replicating efforts, our impact will go even further.
We still need your help because local children still need your help. While some of our processes and services will evolve, our commitment to helping the greatest number of children in need will not.
For those unfamiliar, Cradles to Crayons provides essentials children need to thrive—clothing, shoes, boots, toys, books, school supplies and more.
While serving the same community and working toward the same objectives, our process are different. Cradles to Crayons provides new and gently used items, where Coat Angels is all new. Cradles to Crayons community liaisons pick up the orders for the children, where Coat Angels delivers.
What will it look like moving forward? A hybrid of both. While recognizing the benefits of the merger is easy, the combining of the two is… a little more complicated. But well worth the effort for the increased number of children we will be able to help.
One thing is for certain—all of the schools and organizations on the Coat Angels list will stay on the list. Only in addition to coats, our contacts will also be able to order clothing, shoes, boots, books, school supplies and all of the other items Cradles to Crayons offers.
Will we still personally deliver? Yes, but to a limited number of schools and organizations. This is due not only to combining the processes of the two organizations, but also the increasing level of difficulty in bringing volunteers into CPS.
Thank you for all you’ve done over the years to support us and it is our sincerest hope that you will continue to support us moving forward. The need has never been greater.
We look forward to continuing to help underserved children in Chicago thrive.
With gratitude and warmth,
Micki
