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GOOD WORKS:
Businesses and
employees helping
their communities

Burlington is in its ninth-year of swapping
clothes for a cause.

Last week, The Clothes Exchange annual
fundraiser at the DoubleTree Hotel in South
Burlington attracted 700 shoppers and raised at
least $75,000, chairwoman Leslie Halperin said.
Each year the organization chooses a nonprofit
to receive donations and this year's recipient is
the King Street Center. Halperin explained the
event's success:

? To what do you attribute the success of the
CE? Nine years is a long time. Hundreds of
people and local businesses contribute to our
success: This year we have more than 60 event
sponsors and apparel donors, 120 volunteers and
hundreds of women who donated clothing and
shop. Of course the hardworking passionate
people at the nonprofits we partner with provide
energy and inspiration, too.

The Clothes Exchange is a winning formula. We
leverage something women love, shopping for  
bargains, to the community's benefit. We are a
fundraiser that feels more like a shopping spree.
We make it easy for women to be philanthropic;
prevent tons of clothes from ending up in
landfills; provide unrestricted cash to cash-
strapped nonprofits doing important work in our
community.

Unlike most fundraisers that benefit the same
nonprofit year after year, each year we pick a
new beneficiary. Consequently, our network
grows continuously. Since 2001 we've partnered
with nine nonprofits. Friends tell friends about
the great clothes and our new beneficiaries bring
their own team of staff and volunteers. This
 
keeps us energized and helps us grow.

? Do you consider Burlington a fashionable
place? I think Burlington, like New York City, is a
place where anything goes and people create
their own rules for fashion. Sure, Vermonters
have to be a bit more practical given our climate
and casual lifestyle, but that does not mean we
lack style.

? How does the CE work? We collect used
clothes from the closets of well-dressed women.
These collections start in March. We sort and
keep only the cream of the crop. We give what
we don't keep; so about 60-70 percent of clothes
gathered during our collections go to local
nonprofits like The Lund Center and Vermont
Refugee Resettlement Program.


We also collect and sell NEW clothes from more
than 30 local retailers and national brands. Our
website (www.theclothesexchange.org/retail-
partners-2) has a list of companies donating
apparel.

All of this "collecting" gets displayed for a one-
night-only shopping extravaganza. Clothes are
priced to sell -- anywhere from 30 percent to 90
percent off retail.

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We raise money through sponsorships, ticket
sales, sales of merchandise, auction, raffle and
donations.

? Why are people giving back during a
recession? I think for many people, particularly
Vermonters, even in tough economic times,
giving back and helping others is just something
we are driven to do. When times are tough the
neediest need even more.

While we've seen some of the apparel donations
from local retailers shrink a bit, many of our
partners have stepped up in other ways,
volunteering their time and helping to promote
our event. The actual number of businesses
donating new apparel has jumped from nine to
32 and our event sponsors have almost
quadrupled. We have more merchandise than
ever. We live in a very generous community.

? What kinds of things can one find at the CE?
We have the best selection of handpicked pre-
loved clothes and new clothes and accessories
from companies like American Apparel, Horny
Toad, Lole, Isis, Marc Jacobs and Commando and
from local retailers including Stella, Sweet Lady
Jane, and ECCO. This year, we are also selling
new kids apparel from Zutano, Lindsey Lu, Little
Luna Blue, Isabean and Babybeansprout.

We carry sizes XS to XL and have clothes for
women of all ages, from casual sportswear to
evening wear and everything in between.

? Any special plans for next years 10th
anniversary? We'd like to bring together and
celebrate all of the organizations we've
partnered with over the years. I'll start planning
on May 21.

? Final words? I love what I do and I am
continuously impressed and grateful for the
generosity and energy of our partners, sponsors,
volunteers and nonprofit organizations. The
folks at King Street are the ones doing the really
important work. We're honored to be a small part
of what they do.
 

? Contact: For more information, or to start
planning for next year's Clothes Exchange
visit: www.theclothesexchange.org


-- Myra Mathis Flynn, for the Free Press

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