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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

“Chasing The Dream” Stores Swamped As Distributors Buy Coats For Kids

Spokane kids will be a lot warmer this winter, thanks to 6,500 Amway conventioneers.

Urged by their leaders to share their wealth, Amway distributors fanned out from the Spokane Arena during Sunday’s lunch break to help local radio stations provide coats for needy children.

In little more than an hour, a Koats for Kids booth near the Arena was buried in Dacron and down. The distributors gave 1,020 coats, along with uncounted money to buy more, said Brian Paul, operations manager for KXLY-Radio and its sister stations.

Paul said the distributors - most of whom live outside the region - hit every clothing store within walking distance of the Arena.

By late afternoon, there wasn’t a single children’s coat left at Value Village, across Boone Avenue from the Arena, an employee said.

About 30 Amway distributors arrived at Burlington Coat Factory shortly after noon and “had a blast” walking up and down aisles, selecting 450 new coats, said Bill Teter, the store’s operations manager.

“I even took pictures, turned it into a little celebration,” he said.

Teter, who has attended Amway meetings but is not a distributor, said he was impressed by the shoppers’ generosity.

“I don’t know any other group of folks that would jump into it like that,” he said.

Speaking from the Arena stage Sunday afternoon, Ron Puryear, the distributor who hosted the convention, told the donors they had “created a miracle.”

, DataTimes