Things Warm Up Between Barons And DPS Penn

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – For athletes and fans attending outdoor sporting events at Franciscan University of Steubenville, donning coats—as well as hats and gloves—has become de rigeur once again. With a cold and wet Ohio Valley winter just around the corner, DPS Penn is teaming up with Franciscan athletics to give back to the community through its Warm Hearts Warm People campaign.

The company—an oil and gas development company that serves as one of the sponsors of Franciscan's athletic department—is collaborating with Franciscan University’s Baron Athletics to collect new and gently-used winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. The coats and warm winter apparel will be distributed within the community to those in need.

“The program is a simple way to make a big impact on the community,” said Chris Ledyard, athletic director at Franciscan. “We want to collaborate on as many community outreach projects as we can with DPS Penn; this is just the beginning.”

Baron Backers will have the opportunity to make donations on campus from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16. A Warm Hearts Warm People drop box—measuring three-feet-wide by three-feet tall—prominently sits in the lobby of Franciscan's athletic facility, the Finnegan Fieldhouse. All donations will be sent to the Steubenville Urban Mission.

“We’ve seen, for many years, that Franciscan students have a real heart for this community,” said Ashley Steele, Urban Mission executive director. “We know what the needs are in the area, and students from Franciscan have a real desire to help; we’re very thankful for the willingness they’ve always provided.”

The Urban Mission will distribute coats on an as-needed basis; those visiting the Mission’s soup kitchen or shelter in need of a coat or other cold weather-wear will be provided for. Steele specifically hopes the participation of Baron Athletics in the Warm People Warm Hearts program will help keep area adults warm, saying, “Parents provide for their children, and then they go without. We give more coats to adults than to children.”

To encourage participation in the program, anybody who donates a coat during a home varsity basketball game will be entered in a raffle for the chance to win a specially designed Baron jacket.

DPS Penn has a goal of collecting and distributing one thousand coats through the Warm Hearts Warm People campaign this year, surpassing the number of coats collected in 2010—the project’s inaugural year—by over 200.  There are 19 drop-off locations spread throughout six counties in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Franciscan is located in Jefferson County, where there are five sites to donate; Catholic Central High School, Finnegan Fieldhouse at Franciscan University, Froggy Radio, the Urban Mission, and DPS Penn’s Jefferson Office.

For a list of collection points or more information on DPS Penn’s Warm Hearts Warm People campaign, visit www.warmheartswarmpeople.com.