I recently began teaching first grade at a public school in Brooklyn where free lunch and free breakfast programs are used by 100 percent of the children in the school. I soon noticed that many of the children had only one uniform and sometimes had to come to school without it because mommy took it to the Laundromat. Some children had one pencil and took it back and forth to school. Then, on a cold day in October, I noticed something else: many of the children had no coats. Several children were wearing many layers of sweaters and sweatshirts because they did not have a winter coat. The few who did have coats had coats that didn't fit them and even those coats had broken zippers or no zippers at all.

In an effort to collect a few coats for my "kids," I wrote a quick e-mail to my immediate family and friends, asking each of them to donate any used coats, in any condition, to the children in my classroom. I had hoped to collect a few coats and hand-me-downs from my nieces and nephews, some of my friends and maybe a neighbor or two. What I received was so much more.

The people whom I sent the e-mail to forwarded it to their friends and neighbors in Manhasset, and those people forwarded it to their friends and family. Within a few hours, a brand new child's coat was dropped off. Within days, bags of coats started to appear at my doorstep. Complete strangers e-mailed me, introduced themselves and asked me "What can I do to help?" or "What size coats do you need?"

The generosity, caring and support of the Manhasset community have moved me beyond words. More than 150 children in my school are already wearing big smiles with their "new" coats and we are not done yet. I would like to thank all of the Brownie and Girl Scouts, religious education classes, church groups, community groups, individuals and families who gave us coats and so much more. Members of the Manhasset community gave not only coats but they gave of themselves. They wrote letters. They made phone calls. They sent school supplies. They had their own coat drives, all for the children of my school. One Manhasset family sent 20 new coats. One woman even donated a coat that had been worn by her father when he was still alive. That particular coat has special meaning for meIt best represents all of the giving that the Manhasset community has shown - the giving of the heart.

I would like to thank each of you personally for the coats and the smiles that you have given to the children of my school but most of you I will never know. Please thank your students, colleagues, friends and neighbors on my behalf and on behalf of the kids at a special public school in Brooklyn. We are forever grateful for your kindness.

Geri Kelly Shea