Belle Haven School kids get warm Rotary Club gift Belle Haven School kids get warm Rotary Club gift (December 17, 2003)

Sometimes getting fleeced is a good thing -- a warm, school-spirited thing.

Thanks to the Palo Alto University Rotary Club, students at Belle Haven Elementary School in Menlo Park this week were expected to receive 790 toasty zip-front polar fleece coats to help ward off the December winds. The coats include the school's tiger logo.

"The idea is twofold: outfit needy kids and promote school pride," said Jane Perkins, director of youth services for the Rotary Club chapter.

The fleeces were paid for by donations from the club and from corporations, she said. In the past, the club bought full-fledged coats for particular students with a greater degree of need, but this year it seemed more equitable to buy fleeces, which are lighter and more affordable, for everyone, she said.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.