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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 22, 2008
President Bush Participates in One Warm Coat Holiday Service Project
Pathways to Housing, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Holidays at the White House 2008
11:13 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Listen, Laura and I are here with the Mayor, and other volunteers who are just trying to make a difference in one person's life. And today we're honoring a project called One Warm Coat. And it's an effort -- a nationwide effort to convince our fellow citizens to contribute a used, but not overly used, coat, to help a soul who may need to be warm this winter.
I think there's 2,000 chapters nationwide. The program was started
by this lady right here -- the ultimate social entrepreneur -- and until
1992, it was operated out of San Francisco. And today it's -- as I
said, there's 2,000 coat drives. If you want to help, you can get on
the web page and call onewarmcoat.org -- call it up on your computer.
A couple of examples, or a couple of reasons why we come -- and one such example is the great example of how a single citizen, and eventually a group of citizens, can make a difference, positive difference; that our communities are enriched by programs such as these.
We're also here, by the way, at the headquarters for Pathway to Housing, which is a program of -- all aimed at helping the homeless find a place to live.
And I want to thank, Mr. Mayor, your leadership -- and all of you all for being involved in this vital program.
If you want to serve your nation, you can find a lot of ways to serve. And I hope you do. I hope you realize the great blessings that come when you put your heart and soul into making somebody else's life better.
And so, Mr. Mayor, Laura and I wish you and the citizens of this fine city a happy holiday, and thank you for joining us today.
MAYOR FENTY: Thank you. Thank you for the donations from the White House staff, and yourself personally.
THE PRESIDENT: One hundred and fifty coats. I'm so pleased that those good souls who Laura and I work with agreed to contribute.
Anyway, thank you all.
MRS. BUSH: Happy holidays. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: All get a team picture -- come on. Come on, Laura. Soldiers in the army of compassion.
END 11:15 A.M. EST
