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Fashionable
Living, Gracious Giving: SmiTHrift is Entrepreneurship
and Philanthropy in Action
By
Su Fu ’10, president, SmiTHrift
What’s
a thrift sale? If you are picturing scratched vinyl recordings
of The House Martins, tacky Hawaiian shirts, or little
plastic doodads whose function no one remembers, then you
haven’t been to one of our events. At SmiTHrift
sales, you can surely find hip clothing items to add that
extra oomph to your outfits, or unique decorative accessories
that will jazz up your room -- all offered at bargain
prices, all supporting a good cause.
SmiTHrift patrons shop for goods at a recent sale in
the Campus Center. |
SmiTHrift is creating
a fashionable retail thrift business at Smith College.
Our mission is two-fold: teach students how to run a business
and challenge the assumption that only wealthy individuals
can be philanthropists. Four years in, with a long-term
plan to open a permanent store, SmiTHrift has made substantial
progress toward its goals. Three successful sales in the
2007-08 academic year, tripling the previous year’s activities, generated
a substantial fund that enabled us to give money to two locals charities: Safe
Passage and Grace House. Our grand end-of-the- year “Go Green” donation
drive, made possible by the assistance of the Facilities
Management Residential Operations staff, ensured our renewed
inventory of sellable items.
On October 2, our first sale of the 2008-09 academic
year was preceded by a ceremony celebrating SmiTHrift’s
first charitable donations to the two local nonprofits. Professor
of Economics Mahnaz Mahdavi, director of the Women & Financial
Independence (WFI) program -- which has supported SmiTHrift
since 2004 -- kicked off the event. “Smith students
have long been interested in fashion and giving back to the
community,” she told the crowd. “In SmiTHrift
we’ve seen these passions combine successfully.”
On hand to mark the occasion
were Elizabeth Crowell ’93,
who helped us brainstorm a new marketing direction last year -- “Think
Fashion, Think Green”, which emphasized the connection
between buying gently used clothes and being green -- and
Susan Smith, the fundraising coordinator for Safe Passage,
as well as 15 student volunteers who set up, coordinated,
and cleaned up after the sale.
The dual business and
philanthropic goals of SmiTHrift make the organization
unique. Through SmiTHrift, students, representing a broad
spectrum of academic majors, are able to explore their
passions, hone their skills, and build on their strengths. Zehui
Chen ’10, a mathematics major, uses her financial accounting
acumen to keep the organization’s budget and track
revenue. Danielle Santos ’11, an anthropology major,
drew upon reference materials on philanthropy from the WFI
Resource Center that proved invaluable during our site visits
to candidate charities. Likewise, Sarah Carroux ’09,
an economics major passionate about fashion retail, designs
our friendly and visually appealing “store” environment
to enhance our customers’ shopping experiences.
This year, we are working
to create a “unified brand
image” that distinguishes us from local competitors.
Along with sales, we are organizing clothing drives that
call for donations from professors as well as Smithies. Our
future events -- “Young Designer’s Market” and
a fashion show featuring “DIY” clothes and SmiTHrift
collections -- are under way. Meanwhile, our volunteers
continue to work together to create a viable business plan
to open a permanent retail front on campus.
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