LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Students at a Lexington elementary school received free coats to keep them warm and cozy through the winter.
Booker T. Washington Elementary Interim Principal Betsy Rutherford said that the jackets are the perfect gift and she estimated at least half of the students don't have one at home.
"This morning, there were two kids walking in and they did not have coats. They had short sleeves and I said, 'Where is your coat?' And they said they did not have one and I said, 'That's okay. You're getting one today,'" Washington told LEX 18's Kristen Edwards.
The day was made possible with a $20,000 grant from United Health Care.
UHC volunteers stood side-by-side with basketball legend Rex Chapman, who works with The Dream Builders Foundation. Together, they passed out jackets to nearly 300 kids.
"I grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky," said Chapman. "A lot of my friends didn't have winter coats. Didn't have three meals a day. Just to be part of this, it's amazing."
After getting their jackets, the kids had big smiles and a pep in their step.
