With clothes strewn on racks and accessories placed neatly on shelves, students were able to find hidden gems amongst all of the donations that were given to the College’s first-ever on-campus thrift shop.
The “Be the Change” clothing exchange turned a cold, rainy day into a creative and interactive way for students to enjoy themselves, recycle clothes and benefit a good cause simultaneously, right on campus in the T/W lounge on Saturday, March 29.
“The purpose of this event was to teach kids that they can let go of things,” sophomore CA Jennie Sekanics said of the event, which was hosted by WILL and FYE. “(We) definitely wanted to emphasize that you can reuse things and you can recycle and that one person’s trash is a next person’s treasure.”
Students who donated clothes to the cause received tickets in exchange to use at the thrift shop to purchase other clothes there. Others were able to sift through the clothes, shoes and accessories with prices ranging from $3 to $8, with all money going toward funds for WILL’s community service activities.
“It’s not about the money aspect and it’s not about the people who did it,” Sekanics said. “It’s really about (knowing) we can let go of things, but we can pick up new things, too.”
As this event was the first of its kind here on campus, FYE and WILL are looking to make it a legacy alongside the help from other organizations on campus.
“We have such an overwhelming support with other organizations on campus that makes our job so much easier and makes events like this so much more enjoyable and fun to do,” said Eddie Easse, a sophomore CA who planned it alongside Sekanics.
“I think it’s something cool when you co-sponsor with different groups. You get to see everyone’s assets,” he said in response to the efforts of their co-sponsors Delta Phi Epsilon and Delta Lambda Phi, who helped in advertising and collecting clothes to make the event a success that raised over $500 in the name of community service.
“I think it really shows that a lot of people don’t realize that there are resources we can reuse and re-purpose,” Easse said. “We can really make people aware that you can reuse and you can recycle clothing and you’re doing a really great service to yourself by recycling and collecting donations for a charity.”
As students walked in and out of the secondhand boutique with bags full of new clothes, they have not only participated in an environmentally friendly act and donated to a good effort, but now have also allowed retired clothes to continue their journey with someone else, in an innovative way to re-purpose materials.
“I think what’s cool about this is that you’re buying it from other students, so everything is in style,” Sekanics said. “Everything is super cute and so much fun and usually super expensive. It just goes to show that we can all use each other and all benefit from each other.”
