As he walks to school each morning, Ethan Perrigin needs his coat to keep him warm. As he thinks about what life would be like without a coat, Ethan Perrigin wants to help everyone stay warm this winter.
Perrigin, a student at Sale Elementary International Studies Magnet School, has been paying attention in class. After studying people”s needs and wants in Mary Anna Nelson”s second-grade class and participating in several class charities, Ethan”s coat drive was born.
“What he”s doing is not typical of most second graders,” said Nelson of Perrigin. “He has passion and caring the normal second grader doesn”t have.”
With the help of his teacher, his classmates and you, Perrigin wants to collect 100 coats by Dec. 18. Any and all clean, used coats will be accepted at Sale because Perrigin wants to put coats on “All the needy people of Columbus. Anybody.”
That means young or old, big or small, male or female.
Ethan needs help to reach his goal. Since beginning the coat drive in mid-November, only nine coats have been deposited in the bin outside Sale”s front office, including one Perrigin donated.
Sale librarian Kay Ellis is currently working with Community Resource Connection to find recipients for the donated coats.
Nelson”s class has been immersed in philanthropy this year. They”ve participated in a penny drive to benefit schools in Africa, donated three shoeboxes full of toys to Operation Christmas Child, and collected pop tops to benefit St. Jude”s Children”s Hospital.
Ethan and his brother, Joe, also a second grader in Nelson”s class, were the top contributors of pop tops.
Nelson says the coat drive has struck a chord with many of her students.
“At first they all wanted to do food because they think that”s all people need,” said Nelson of early charity ideas. “It really has been an eye-opening experience for the children. This time they seem to have gotten the idea.”
To spread the word around school, Perrigin has created hand-drawn posters to hang in the hallways.
And Sale”s partner in progress, Soroptimist International-Columbus, a civic club for professional and business women, is spreading word around the community.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
