"Last winter, I came up with the idea for a coat drive because, being a competitive figure skater, I know how it feels to be exposed to cold weather for long periods of time; I could not imagine how one would be able to survive in the winter without a coat.  After designing flyers to pass out in my neighborhood in Downers Grove, Denburn Woods, I waited several weeks before collecting donations from 75 homes.  These coats were delivered to Sharing Connections, who made distributing the coats to the needy possible."

"This experience affected me in a very positive way.  It allowed me to attain several useful skills such as: creating flyers that capture people's attention and sparked their desire to participate in the drive, managing time in my busy schedule to distribute these flyers and collect donations, and, finally, honing communication skills and working well with a charity organization that aided me in other volunteer endeavors."

"My neighborhood coat drive last year inspired me to take my volunteer work to a higher level. This year, I expanded my coat drive to include all the rinks where I skate or those belonging to the DuPage Figure Skating Club in Chicagoland.  Although not all 22 rinks were able to participate due to various municipality rules, I am happy to report 16 rinks are involved.  I envision this drive to be rather successful, just like the one I organized last year.  As president of the Downers Grove North High School Key Club, I also plan on establishing a coat drive at school, which would close the Friday before our winter break, ensuring I can secure as many coats as possible for Sharing Connections, a wonderful nonprofit organization!"   

- Liz Melton, junior at Downers Grove North High School.

Honor student, DuPage Figure Skating competitor, and President of Downers Grove High School Key Club, Liz Melton still makes time in her schedule to create and run a coat drive that spans 16 skating rinks.

"My neighborhood coat drive last year inspired me to take my volunteer work to a higher level."

Competing at the Upper Great Lakes Figure Skating Regionals with skaters from 9 other states, Liz qualified for Ladies Juniors in October and she isn't slowing down. Accompanied by her mother, Darlene, Liz will be visiting the 16 ice rinks over her Thanksgiving break in November to pickup the coat donations and personally deliver them to Sharing Connections in early December.

Sharing Connections would like to thank Liz for her generous dedication and leadership through her coat drive that will help keep so many families warm this winter season.