Novato Girl's Winter Coat Drive Gets a National Plug

Elizabeth DeRuvo’s mission to provide a warm item for every homeless person got some national exposure earlier this month when the 8-year-old Novato girl was invited to appear on NBC’s “The Nate Berkus Show.”

Berkus conducted a short interview with Elizabeth, a Pleasant Valley Elementary School student who orchestrated Operation Warm Winter, a successful drive of coats, hats, mittens and other warm-weather gear this winter. She was theback in November and subsequently invited to appear on the NBC daytime talk show.

Berkus asked Elizabeth’s mom, Julie DeRuvo, Elizabeth came up with the idea of helping the homeless. “I swear, she was born like this,” Julie said. “She’s always had a caring and compassionate heart.”

The show’s website has two clips, one of the show appearance and one backstage interview with Elizabeth and Julie during which Elizabeth describes her experience as “exclamazing.” The show's audience and a well-known coat retail outlet presented the DeRuvos with a heart-warming surprise that you'll see on the first clip.

Asked backstage about her long-range goal, Elizabeth said, “I just might get every person in the world to have a blanket, and that makes me very proud of myself.”

The DeRuvos accepted item donations at their home this winter, but Julie DeRuvo said they’d like to open a location donation center next winter. If you’d like to help with that effort, contact her through www.operationwarmwinter.org.