September 2023

Clothes To Kids of Denver marked a significant milestone when we provided our 100,000th school wardrobe to a shopper visiting with the Denver South High School Newcomers on September 11, 2023. One hundred thousand wardrobes is equivalent to more than 2,000,000 items of new and quality used clothing and shoes!

And it’s not just about the clothes, explains Valerie Lunka, Clothes To Kids executive director. “Not having adequate school clothing can be a major barrier to school attendance and achievement,” she says, “and clothing that is badly worn or out-of-style can damage a child’s self-esteem and lead to bullying by other students. Our vision is that all students will have the clothing they need to feel comfortable, confident and prepared to thrive.”

This service milestone coincides with the 15th anniversary of our founding in September of 2008, and the need for quality school clothing has grown exponentially since then. Notably, it took ten years for us to reach the 50,000 wardrobe mark, but only five more years to double that number.

Yet quality of service is every bit as important as quantity at Clothes To Kids. Students and their families shop in a bright and cheerful boutique that is much like any clothing store, except the items have no price tags. “Regardless of the circumstances that bring students to us, our staff and volunteers ensure that families are treated with dignity and respect,” Lunka says.

Thank you to our team of volunteers, clothing donors and financial supporters for making this incredible milestone possible. We couldn't do it without you!

Cheers to our Blue Jean Bash Committee!

We are so fortunate to have the generous support of United Airlines. They partner with us in many ways, and recently their team delivered 500 brand new backpacks for our shoppers. Thank you for making back-to-school shopping extra fun for our students!

RYCH Electric to the rescue…again! The new lights they donated and expertly installed earlier this summer needed some adjusting after our ceiling was painted. Their team was all over it, and we were able to keep serving shoppers with no interruption.

We had two awesome volunteer groups from Cimarron Inc. They worked hard and did everything from cleaning and organizing to hanging and tagging. They could not have come at a better time - right at the end of August, which turned out to be our busiest month in the history of Clothes To Kids (1,353 shoppers served)!

Liberty Media just wrapped up their annual back-to-school drive, and it was a HUGE success! They collected 100 pairs of new shoes and 750 pairs of new socks and undies, 45 backpacks, plus a whopping $2,700 in gifts that will be doubled by Liberty’s generous matching program. Thank you for helping so many of our students put their best foot forward.