COLORADO SPRINGS — The Universal Education Foundation, an organization that provides educational classes for parents and young people to create balance within the family, set out to find creative ways to keep giving.
“We want to reach out to the community and offer support, without asking for anything in return,” said UEF President Tami Urbanek.
This Colorado Springs nonprofit launched a free clothing drive, which immediately caught the attention of charities across the city.
“I was just hoping a bit. I was a bit scared that we wouldn’t get any clothes or very few clothes, so the fact that we got so many that we couldn’t even get it all out, for me, that’s was beyond that,” Urbanek said.
So now she said this garment is for everyone.
“We wanted to give it away so no one has to go out and buy it or pinch their pennies, they can just walk in, take what they want, no judgement, no questions asked.”
The event is fairly new to the organization, as it is their second clothing drive – their first free clothing drive taking place in February.
“It was the very first time we did something like this. So really, I didn’t care. I was googling ‘how do you do that?’
But, since that first try, volunteers have said it’s been an incredible experience.
“[I’m] just touched by so many people who have so little but were so full of love, gratitude and appreciation that I felt I had learned so much from them,” said volunteer Sharon Farrell.
Depending on how the first events go, the nonprofit said it plans to make it a regular event.
“We still have a lot of clothes in the closets and if people really come in and we see that it benefits other people, we definitely want to keep going,” Urbanek said.
The Universal Education Foundation will hold another clothing giveaway on March 26 at 301 E Platte Ave.