COEUR d’ALENE – When Mark Kuhnhausen asked a group of kids to show off their new coats Thursday, they proudly did so. 

Boys and girls stood, smiled and laughed. Nothing like a warm jacket before winter sets in. 

“These couldn’t come at a better time,” said Kuhnhausen, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County. 

About 325 new winter coats courtesy of Rita Case were distributed at the Coeur d’Alene club on 15th Street. 

“I have been committed to providing new warm winter coats to our club members for years,” said Case, president and CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group in Florida. “It brings joy to my life knowing the club members are warm during the winter.” 

For the first time, Case partnered with Operation Warm, a national nonprofit. Founded in 1998, Operation Warm and its partners have served over 5 million children across North America with new coats and shoes. 

“A warm coat is an essential item for children and their families in our community,” Case said. “I am so excited to have located an organization that I could partner with to provide Coeur d’Alene club members with a new winter coat.” 

There were coats of many colors and sizes, and volunteers helped kids ages 6 to 15 pick the right one.  

One girl turned in a circle as she showed off her new coat for friends. A boy pulled the hood of his new jacket up tight around his head and grinned.  

“You can see it means a lot to the kids,” Kuhnhausen said. “They’re feeling really good about it.” 

He said for some kids, it might be their only good coat that can fend off the North Idaho cold in the months ahead. 

“For Rita to continue to do this for our kids is amazing,” Kuhnhausen said. 

Case has also been behind an annual summer giveaway for several years that has distributed thousands of shoes at the Boys and Girls Club in Coeur d’Alene. 

“Rita has made sure our kids are warm in the winter and have nice shoes in the summer,” Kuhnhausen said. 

Volunteers Brad and Janice Baldwin said the boys and girls were polite and appreciative, each offering a big “Thank you."

“A lot of gratitude,” Janice Baldwin said. 

Brad Baldwin said they like to help at the giveaway because they know what a difference a coat will make for some of the children. 

“We love to see them happy,” Baldwin said. “You do anything you can to get them to smile.’ 

    Volunteers Brad and Janice Baldwin help two boys try on coats at the Kootenai County Boys and Girls Club on Thursday.
  

    Kids check out piles of coats in the gym at the Kootenai County Boys and Girls Club in Coeur d'Alene on Thursday.