While they were in New Orleans earlier this month for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the dancers of Margie’s Dance Center made sure to pass the blessing on to others.

During their trip to New Orleans to dance at halftime of the BCS National Championship game between Alabama and LSU, the dancers of Margie’s Dance Center of Selma donated some of the coats left over from their fundraising efforts to the needy of the City of New Orleans.

Margie Burk, owner of Margie’s Dance Center, said Joan Adkison of American Apparel offered to donate the coats to the dancers for their efforts to raise funds for the trip, and the decision was made to use the leftover coats to aid those in need.

“It was an idea I had that I presented to the girls and their parents that these coats were going to do a whole lot of good in areas where they were needed such as up in north Alabama where the tornados had hit,” Burke said, “and since we were going to New Orleans I thought it might be a good idea as ambassadors of Selma to take them there also.”

With the help of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Selma, the dancers also sent two-dozen coats to Sawyerville, Ala., which was affected by the deadly tornados that swept across Alabama last April.

For their efforts to help out those in New Orleans, Selma Mayor George Evans’ office put Burk in touch with Unity for a Greater New Orleans, which collaborates with other agencies in New Orleans to help provide coats, blankets, socks, gloves and other items to homeless people during cold weather among other things.