The Knights of Columbus celebrated the giveaway of one million coats to children in a special ceremony at Denver’s Annunciation Catholic School on Monday.
Dozens of coats rested on tables at the gymnasium of the Cole neighborhood school, but not for long. Children from five Catholic schools came through to pick up new winter coats courtesy of the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program, which launched in 2009.
After Annunciation students picked up their coats, they filled the gymnasium for an assembly. Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus then gave the program’s one-millionth coat to Annunciation student Lexi Cordova. The special gold-colored coat went to the surprised Cordova, he said, because of “her great sense of style” and because “she has a great heart of gold.”
“We thought if a girl with a heart of gold gets the gold coat, it would be perfect,” said Kelly.
Cordova’s mother, Alexandra Vialpando of Denver, said the gift to her daughter made her feel “indescribable.”
“I’m very happy. I’m amazed. It was very hard not to tell her she was getting this award,” she told the Denver Catholic.
Annunciation has over 180 students. Students’ families predominantly come from Mexico and South Sudan, though some students have recently arrived from Venezuela.
Principal Deb Roberts said the school has received coats for many years. She thanked the Knights of Columbus for their coat drive.
“This wouldn’t happen without the generosity of all of you,” she said in introductory remarks.
“Annunciation Catholic School has been around for almost 100 years,” Roberts told the Denver Catholic. “We’re going to be around for another 100 years. Our mission is to serve the poor, and we’re going to continue that mission as long as we are here.”
Almost 1,000 coats were prepared for distribution. Four other Catholic schools took part in the giveaway on Monday: Guardian Angels Catholic School, St. James Catholic School and St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy in Denver and St. Therese Classical Catholic School in Aurora.
There were other surprise gifts: the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council made donations of $10,000 to each of the five schools.
During an event celebrating the donation of the 1 millionth coat in the Coats for Kids program, Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly presents a $10,000 check to representatives of St. James Catholic School in Denver, Colorado, at Annunciation Catholic School in Denver Nov. 6, 2023. The Knights donated a total of $50,000 to schools in the Archdiocese of Denver during the ceremony. (Photo by Paul Haring)
Kelly, the head of the Knights of Columbus, told the Denver Catholic that the global organization of two million members is at the service of the family and is “here to help in so many ways.” He also explained the choice of Denver for the giveaway of the Coats for Kids’ program one millionth coat.
“Denver was chosen because there’s a vibrant Catholic community here and the Knights of Columbus here have done Coats for Kids for many years,” he said. “We thought it was a perfect community to come to. It’s a community that needs assistance and these five schools need assistance.”
Recent Annunciation graduate Brandon Grijalva, of Aurora, now a freshman at Arrupe Jesuit High School, was a recipient of a jacket in previous giveaways.
“It really helped my family out,” Grijalva told the Denver Catholic. “We can’t get what we usually want, but jackets are among our biggest needs. It’s helped our family a lot.”
Ty Blach, a former pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, helped give away coats at Annunciation.
“It’s pretty special to see the impact that Knights of Columbus is able to have on the community,” he told the Denver Catholic. “What they’re doing for these underprivileged kids to provide them with warmth and coats is really special.”
Dwayne “Butch” Enderle, State Deputy of the Colorado Knights of Columbus, said there are about 18,000 knights in 157 councils in Colorado.
“We are here to serve the community, as well as Catholics. Our bottom line is to bring people closer to God,” Enderle said. He noted that the need for coats often outpaces the ability to provide them.
“All you have to do is stop and look around you. If you look around, you will see the need,” he said.
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Photo by Ken Mostek
Photo by Ken Mostek
Photo by Ken Mostek
Photo by Ken Mostek
Photo by Ken Mostek
Photo by Ken Mostek
Michael Majeres, program director for the Colorado Knights of Columbus, said Colorado councils are on track to give away 2,200 coats throughout the state. They are working with groups like Jefferson County’s Jeffco Action Center and Catholic Charities of Central Colorado to reach the homeless and others in need. Some coats have shipped to out-of-state Native American reservations in New Mexico and the Dakotas.
He welcomed the giveaway of the one millionth coat.
“We are so glad that they chose Colorado as a place to mark this monumental achievement of the order,” Majeres told the Denver Catholic.
The Coats for Kids program aims to provide quality new winter coats to children. It is active in the U.S. and Canada. Since 2017, the Knights of Columbus have distributed over 100,000 coats each year.
The organization aims to give away over 200,000 coats in the U.S. and Canada this year. Half the cost of each case of coats is subsidized by the Knights of Columbus. Individual councils can buy cases through the Knights of Columbus organization.
Supreme Knight Kelly invited interested individuals to donate to the Coats for Kids program through the Knights of Columbus website at KofC.org/CoatsForKids.