'She was the driving force'; Annual coat drive held in memory of founder

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The 33rd annual Coats for Kids Drive is underway in Decatur.

WAND News and Dove, Inc. have teamed up again this year to collect good, used, and new coats for families in need.

This year the drive is extra special for WAND News and Dove, Inc. On each barrel and bin at various locations the phrase "In memory of our founder... Barbara Blakey."

Blakey started the coat drive 33 years ago when she saw a need in the community.

"It's a program she started when she was first at Dove. It was her baby," said Angie Williams, Director of RSVP.

Blakey started a partnership with WAND News to collect as many coats as possible. In more than three decades, the drive has brought in more than 80,000 coats.

"She poured so much energy into it and more energy than I could have ever thought," said Chief Executive Officer Darsonya Switzer.

For 32 years, Blakey would set all of the bins at locations across Macon County. She checked on them daily, collected the coats, took them to the cleaners, and distributed them to clothing rooms and schools across town.

"She just wanted to do good for the community, help the kiddos get coats in the winter so they were warm," said Molly Tenuto, Dove Financial Assistance.

The Coats for Kids Drive runs through Nov. 25.