Bronxville Students Bring Community Together With Coat Drive

Bronxville High School’s Human Rights Coalition brought together students, families and staff members across the elementary, middle and high schools to make a difference for those in need. Through the annual coat drive, the students collected eight large bags of coats, hats, gloves and shoes and donated them to the Westchester County Senior Youth Council. 

Liberty Wilson, a senior and co-president of HRC, attributed the drive’s success to its accessibility and the generosity of the Bronxville community. The students encouraged participation through daily morning announcements and made it easy for families to drop off their donations. 

“What made this so successful is the convenience this coat drive provided,” Wilson said. “Instead of each family in Bronxville sorting through coats, researching places, then individually driving to drop them off, they easily dropped them off at school, letting student HRC members sort, bag and donate to organizations who need it.” 

Once the collection period ended, the students gathered for a sorting session in teacher Dana Landesman’s room and worked together to organize the generous donations. The following week, club members took the carefully packed bags to the drop-off site, ensuring the items would reach those who need them most in Westchester County.

“The holiday season is such a great reminder of how much we have to be grateful for, and how much of a privilege it is to be bundled up in the winter,” HRC Co-president Isabel Haller said. “It’s the perfect time to pass on these reasons to be thankful and help the community. Our school coat drives every year is really my favorite way that we get to come together and give back to the community.”

For the students, the drive was more than just a project – it was a celebration of compassion and a reminder of their ability to create positive change in their local community.