Mooresville family giving back through heartache gets help from famous comedian

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — After suffering a tragic loss years ago, a Mooresville family has made it their mission to help others by hosting various fundraisers in honor of their son.

Last year, the Ackerman family collected 175 coats for Channel 9′s Steve’s Coats for Kids drive. This year, they’re collecting coats again and they’ve recruited some A-list support.

Eight years ago, the Ackermans were devastated when their baby boy J.J. passed away. His mother, Kelly Ackerman, spoke to Channel 9′s John Ahrens about that dark winter day.

“It was a cold, frigid day … and it was something that was on in the hospital, the (Steve’s Coats for Kids) commercials were running,” Ackerman remembered. She said the commercials made her think about how terrible it would be for children to be outside with no protection from the elements.

“I just kept thinking, I can’t imagine kids in this cold,” she said.

>> CLICK HERE for more information on Steve’s Coats for Kids

Last year, the generosity of the community helped the family collect close to 200 coats, so they decided to move this year’s collection from their driveway to a bigger location at Mooresville High School.

J.J.’s grandmother, Susan Rice, also posted about the collection on social media, tagging comedian Leslie Jones in one of her tweets.

“I’m an old lady who knows how to use Twitter,” Rice said.

Jones, known for her appearances on “Supermarket Sweep” and “Saturday Night Live,” responded by donating 30 coats to the drive. Ackerman said after Jones’ reply on Twitter, they started receiving coats from other states and even Canada.

“I’d like to think that my son, if he were here, he would be adding goodness into the world and so we try to do that on behalf of him -- and this is a really fun way to do it,” Ackerman said.

(WATCH: A sweet way you can donate to Steve’s Coats for Kids)

A sweet way you can donate coats to Steve's Coats for Kids

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