WARM BODIES WARM HEARTS
Grand-Prize Winners
The Fehders of Louisville, Kentucky: Kathy and Steve (rear), Mark, 8, Maria, 15, Anna, 10, Chris, 13, and Elena, 10, with part of their blanket bounty
Over the past five years, the Fehder family's simple project -- giving new or lightly used blankets to the homeless -- has grown from a few drop boxes in a local school to a coalition of more than 50 organizations. Though Steve came up with the name Blanket Louisville (blanketlouisville.org), every member of the family takes part in collecting, sorting, and distributing the blankets and recruiting friends to help. Their teamwork shows real results: last year they brought warmth to 4,200 people. In addition, the Fehders and their friends have raised awareness about the men, women, and children living on the streets and in shelters in the Louisville area.
Steve:
"To create a project for the family to get behind, I knew it had to be something simple that the kids could understand and contribute to."
Kathy:
"Everybody has a blanket in their house. Our premise was, everyone wants to give, but they don't know how to do it. So this is a tool for people to do something charitable -- and it's an easy way to do it."
Maria, 15:
"As I've gotten older, I've realized how many people are out there who benefit from this program."
Anna, 10:
"I know that I'm helping someone who needs help. When they're on the streets, they have nothing."
Mark, 8:
"I like helping people stay warm in the winter. It makes me feel good."
