Athene USA, a provider of retirement savings products, recently donated winter clothing essentials to nearly 1,500 children at Cattell, McKinley, Howe and Studebaker elementary schools in Des Moines through its annual Coats & Boots program. Now in its 28th year, Coats & Boots originally started as a relief effort to provide support to victims of the 1993 floods. The program has evolved into a legacy program that has supplied coats and boots to an estimated 17,000 students in Central Iowa. “As children in Des Moines endure another school year filled with change and uncertainty, Athene is proud to be a small source of security by providing a warm coat and pair of boots to every child at four local schools,” said Kristi Kaye Burma, executive vice president of human resources at Athene USA, which is based in West Des Moines. More than 180 Athene employee volunteers helped to make this year’s program a success. In addition to the winter clothing donated to the four Des Moines schools, Athene will also donate roughly 200 coats and boots to West Des Moines Human Services Clothing Closet, where they will be available at no cost to families in need. The coats and boots are provided by the Athene USA Charitable Foundation with the support of J.C. Penney and Shoe Carnival.