Associate-Led Coat Drive at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center Brings in 500 Donations

For the fifth year in a row, 74-year-old Larry Stevens turned a simple idea into something huge. What started as a small act of kindness has grown into a truckload of generosity, with this year’s coat drive at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center bringing in more than 500 coats for families in need.

Stevens, who has served in patient transport at OhioHealth for 21 years, has become the heartbeat of this annual effort. All donated coats were loaded onto a large truck by the nonprofit Columbus Dream Center, where they’ll be distributed to families across the city through local schools and free stores.

This is a mission Stevens connects to personally. He said many people helped him in similar ways growing up, and this is just a small way to give back.

“You know, everybody don’t have a coat and stuff to go home to,” Stevens said. “There’s a lot of people that needs to have some. This is the common nature. I mean, if I see you on the street, I buy you a coat.”

This year’s pickup day also came with a special surprise, it fell on Stevens’ birthday. His coworkers used the moment to celebrate him and show their appreciation for the impact he’s made.

His passion has grown infectious throughout the hospital with friendly competition as units work to out-donate one another. This year, the two units with the most donations even got to pie Stevens in the face, a tradeoff he didn’t hesitate to make.

He said it’s an easy price to pay for all of the families they’re going to help.