New Jersey Legionnaire Dedicated to
Giving Children a Second Chance at Life

For the past 20 years, Tony Lori has been placing coin collection jars across the state of New Jersey on behalf of the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA).  Throughout these two decades, his efforts have netted more than $80,000 -- primarily pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters -- for COTA children who call New Jersey home.

Tony Lori heard about COTA years ago when he was told there was a child waiting for a transplant whose family desperately needed financial help.  At the time, he was Children & Youth Chairman of The American Legion Department of New Jersey Posts.

“When I was the Children & Youth Chairman, I was always challenging New Jersey’s 21 Chairmen to do something for COTA,” said Legionnaire Tony Lori.  “Adopting COTA as our (New Jersey’s) child cause all those years ago was important then, and it’s still important today.”

How did Tony Lori actually help raise $80,000 in coins for COTA?  He remembers that he started by combining collecting coins for COTA with building membership.  According to Lori, “I would stand up at our meetings and ask the members who had a membership application in their pocket.  If they did, it was great and when they turned it in they were asked to put coins in the COTA jug.  If they didn’t, they were ‘fined’ and asked to put coins in the jug.  Everyone won …and made a difference.”

Since Legionnaire Tony Lori launched the COTA coin collection program, each of the 21 New Jersey American Legion Post Chairmen manages a “COTA jug” in his/her area.  Every six weeks, the donations are counted, the post writes a check to the New Jersey Legion and then they are combined and sent to COTA for distribution to New Jersey kids who are awaiting a second chance at life.

“We at COTA are deeply grateful to the New Jersey American Legion Post, and to Tony Lori, for finding that COTA family all those years ago and organizing efforts to do something to help.  It has been a long and successful partnership for both organizations,” said Rick Lofgren, CFRE, President of COTA.

The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help, war-time veterans’ organization.  Today, this community service organization numbers nearly three million members, both men and women, in nearly 15,000 American Legion Posts worldwide.  One of the The American Legion’s stated purposes is, “to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation.”

Legionnaire Tony Lori speaks with admiration about the many American Legion members across New Jersey who have supported the COTA coin jugs over the years.  However, there is one pair of New Jersey Legionnaires who have a special place in Lori’s heart. 

Mr. and Mrs. Mellant Palo of the Hunterdon County Post in New Jersey have made a personal commitment to raise a thousand dollars for COTA annually for the past several years.  Their method?  They stand outside of retail stores and literally ask for support, which typically comes to them one dollar bill at a time.  The Palo’s do not stop until they have reached $1,000 and then sit and straighten out each individual bill so they can present it to their post once a year as a huge “brick of money.” 

According to COTA’s Rick Lofgren, “I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Palo and personally thank both of them at two American Legion National Conventions.  They are certainly proof that each of us can truly make a life-saving difference for a child.”

Legionnaire Tony Lori still works hard today to keep COTA at the forefront of the New Jersey American Legion Post’s fundraising efforts, even though he is no longer the Children & Youth Chairman.  Recently, Lori forgot to remove his Legion hat while sipping coffee and enjoying a bagel at his Post, which is not allowed.  He was readily caught and he smiled as he added more coins to the COTA jug that was awaiting his ‘fine.’

One person can make a difference.  Twenty years + 202 New Jersey Posts = $80,000 worth of coins.