During the next two weeks, SMU students have the opportunity tohelp others get the chance at a better life.
Cleaning out your room at the end of the year can becomestressful and overwhelming. Clothes become piled in every open spoton the floor and furniture as students work to separate the clothesbeing packed from the unwanted items. This year, there is a placefor all the excess clothes to go.
Mustang Laundry, SMU’s on-campus laundry and dry cleaning,pick-up and delivery service, will host a clothes drive fromMonday, April 26th to Friday, May 7th.
Now, students can take their unwanted clothes both to theMustang Laundry truck or put them in the boxes on the first floorof their dorms or Greek houses. Students living off-campus can callthe company and have them pick up their excess clothes. Allstudents are encouraged to donate their clothes, not just thestudents signed up for the Mustang Laundry service. The clotheswill be donated to Attitudes and Attire and the Dallas LifeFoundation.
“Many students are willing to pile up their clothes andjoin Mustang Laundry in their effort to benefit their cause. Ithink this is a great idea. I have plenty of unwanted clothes thatthese organizations could use. I would even want to continue towatch and help the organization to see how my donation hashelped,” said Georgann Rowe, a junior finance major.
Erin Juhl, a junior marketing major at SMU, believes that”most disposable items to one person can be treasure toanother. This clothes drive gives the SMU students a chance to dosomething for their community. With the reputation of being snobby,this shows that the students are willing to see the benefits oftheir life and share them with not as fortunate people.”
Attitudes and Attire is a local non-profit organization helpingwomen get back in the workforce. They take women on a mini shoppingspree through their boutique to get outfits for potential jobinterviews and then teach them how to approach the job search. Theobjective of the organization is to give women a sense ofself-worth to improve both their professional lives as well astheir personal lives.
According to their website, Attitudes and Attire”emphasize[s] the relationship between self- concept andpersonal appearance.”
The clothes offered at Attitudes and Attire are upscale andfashionable, with donations from places such as Neiman Marcus.
SMU seems to be the perfect market for an organization lookingfor discarded clothes that are still high quality andfashionable.
The Dallas Life Foundation is the largest homeless shelter inDallas. Its services include meals, clothing, health services andjob training to a variety of groups that span from veterans to thementally ill to ex- convicts. For only $5 per night, Dallas LifeFoundation offers a variety of opportunities. Not only do they havean over night stay but walk-ins are welcome for a small fee. Allpeople can benefit from the foundation.
Along with the shelter, the Dallas Life Foundation has aclothing distribution. In need of casual clothes for men, woman andyounger children, they will benefit greatly from the MustangLaundry clothes drive. Dallas Life offers counseling to help peopleget back on their feet, and knowing that one is making a good firstimpression is a large confidence booster to restart their life.
Mustang Laundry, the laundry and dry-cleaning service on campusworks every day from 12-5 and picks up clothes from dorms, Greekhouses and select off-campus apartments. Two days later the clothesare delivered back to the student. Mustang Laundry, for six yearsnow, has been a successful business in helping SMU students cleantheir clothes.
Although Mustang Laundry is hosting the event, the clothes drivenever would have happened without the help of Laura Kegley.
Laura Kegley, a junior advertising major, thought of startingthe clothes drive during a class project with the help of MustangLaundry’s manager, Paige Watkins.
“We’re lucky we go to a school where we get thechance to work in the real world. I’m lucky I found a companythat gave me guidance but allowed me the freedom to organize thisevent and gain the experience of working by myself,” Kegleysaid.
The Mustang Laundry clothes drive is giving students the chanceto participate in an all campus philanthropy event. Mustang Laundrybelieves that if there is any school that can have successfulclothes drive, SMU is one of them.
“Dallas Life Foundation and Attitudes and Attire are twogreat organizations that will benefit from the quality of clothingthe SMU students can donate,” Watkins explains.
