BOUNTIFUL—Model-T's to high-end sports cars will roll down Main Street in Bountiful Father’s Day weekend to kick off the annual Coats for Kids Car Show. The charity event, put on by the Bountiful Rotary, is in its 28th year of providing children in south Davis elementary schools with warm winter clothes.The Rotary held its kick-off Thursday at Hank’s Garage in North Salt Lake.    

In addition to the Cool Car Parade & Cruisin’ Main Street, cars will be burning rubber at the popular, high octane Smokin’ Tire Burn Out. There will be plenty of fun in between with bouncy houses, face painting and good food.

All proceeds go to vouchers for parents in need to use at Walmart so their child can pick out winter coats, gloves and boots without knowing where the money came from.  

“I’m a family advocate with the Davis School District,” said Kim Anderson who works at Adelaide Elementary. “Our job is to remove barriers to education, whatever that may be.”

In the case of a coat, if a kid’s walking to and from school and they don’t have a coat, that’s a barrier to education, she said. “If those basic needs aren’t met they can’t learn at school. So our job is to remove those barriers and you guys make it really easy to remove this barrier.”

Anderson said the Rotary helped 125 kids last year at her school alone. “That’s a lot. Adelaide is a Title One school. That means that enough families qualify for free lunch. So lower income.”

A lot of people are going through hard times at Adelaide, she said. “We’ve had parents who have lost jobs, there are domestic violence situations – there’s a lot of tough stuff going on in their homes.”

These parents greatly appreciate the basic needs being taken care of, said Anderson. “The kids love the magic. I love how you guys do this where they get to choose what they love.”

Anderson told a story about one of her students and his coat. “We all know we’ve had kind of a mild winter this year,” she said. “This happened on a day that really wasn’t cold. He probably didn’t need a coat. I went to his classroom for something and this kiddo had to stand up and show me his coat. He was wearing his coat inside the school on a warm day, but had to show me. He’s like ‘oh no there’s more.’ He had gloves that matched it. He was so excited.”

The Rotary is preserving the dignity of the children, the families and keeping that magic of childhood, Anderson said. “I love what you do.”

“We are incredibly grateful to the Rotary Club for your generosity and continuous support,” said Rose Thatcher, a family advocate at Meadow Brook and Bountiful Elementaries. “One student wore his hoodie throughout the school year because he said it made him feel confident. He was proud that he could choose clothing that reflected his own style and personality.”

Thatcher said she was able to go shopping for a student that couldn’t make it to the store. “It was beautiful to see her eyes light up when she received her new clothing. Her mother had tears in her eyes and said she could hardly believe that people would donate their money to help others in need.”

Between both of her schools, Thatcher said more than 200 students were helped. “Thank you for all you do for our community. It truly takes a village to raise a family and we are so grateful that you are part of our village.”

Coats for Kids will be held June 19, 20. Friday night’s festivities are from 5:30 – 10 p.m. on Bountiful Main Street. The fun continues on Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Bountiful City Park, 400 N. 200 West.

For more information and to donate or volunteer visit https://bountifulrotary.com/car-show/.