“I love it,” a Garfield girl said as she spun around in a new, fuzzy, pink, winter coat.
Two other girls walked by her, smiling as they talked about their new matching winter coats they had just chosen from the tables and racks filling the Tom Davis Chevrolet showroom Thursday.
Discovering they had chosen the same Mario themed jacket, two boys wanting a picture, stood side-by-side turning and laughing, trying to decide what the best angle was to show off the “cool” details.
Tom Davis and his employees worked efficiently helping the USD 503 students try on coats and hoodies, making sure they were a good fit, helping the students find another choice if not, and all the while taking in the children’s smiles as they found the one that was just right for them.
The employees were joined by USD 503 School Resource Officers, other Parsons Police officers, USD 503 Sparkwheel coordinators, and other volunteers.
As the children made their final choices they made their way to a table, where two Walmart employees sat, cutting off tags and depositing them in a container. At the end, they would ring up the tags, 100 in all, for the final bill.
Parsons Middle School Sparkwheel coordinator Susan Hill said 20 children were chosen from each of the district’s five schools to come “shop” in the showroom for a new coat.
“It’s Tom Davis. He was the one that said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Then Susan put together all the logistics of kids, coats, sizes” and coordinating transportation, PPD SRO Mark Raney said.
The Parsons Police Department became involved when Davis made the donation for the Operation Warm Shield program to the PPD’s Legacy Fund. Sparkwheel is benefitting because of the direct contribution to their schools and students.
“I remember when I was a kid we did Coats With A Cop,” Raney recalled. “I remember going with cops and getting coats when I was like in second or third grade and I wore that coat all the way through my grade school years.
“It's a good thing,” Raney said, “and I think it’s for a good cause as we get into winter.”
As is common, Davis wanted to remain behind the scenes and didn’t want any attention focused on him. He wanted all the focus to be on the children and those helping. His reward was in the smiles of the happy children.
“I’ve got something to say about Tom,” Raney said. “Tom didn’t want the limelight, but I’m directing it back to him because it is his funding that is making this possible. Without him this wouldn’t be happening. He does a lot for this community and for the Legacy Fund. He helps us with the golf tournament and those things. This is just another thing.”
Raney said he even had a headline ready for a story: “Tom Davis: Community Philanthropist, Catalyst For Operation Warm Shield.”
“People should know how he supports the community,” Hill added.
Many hands made quick work of the event. Despite the district busing in a school at a time to the dealership north of town, they had it timed out and all 100 students had picked out coats and were back at school in just over an hour and 15 minutes.
Kids were wearing coats and all who helped were wearing smiles, happy to help students in need.
“We want to give a huge thank you to Tom Davis for donating funds to the PPD's Legacy Fund to cover the cost of 100 coats for USD 503 students,” Superintendent Lori Perkins said. “This act of kindness reflects the wonderful support the community has for our students and the generosity is very much appreciated.” 