Clothes for Kids dresses
children for success

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

Sharie Ennis remembers receiving a call from a single mom whose teenage son was embarrassed to go to school. Money was tight, and the two were sharing the same pair of shoes. Would it be OK, the mother asked, if she dropped by Clothes for Kids to get her son some new shoes?

Snohomish County Business Journal/ KIMBERLY HILDEN “We have a lot of support in the community, and that’s how we exist,” said Sharie Ennis, executive director of Clothes for Kids. Among the clothing items at the nonprofit group’s Lynnwood location are new coats (pictured at right), courtesy of local Rotary groups and Operation Warm.

Ennis suggested the mother bring her son with her. She did, and together, mother and son shopped for his wardrobe, selecting among pants, shirts, sweaters, socks, belts, underwear — and shoes.

The total cost at the checkout line: zero dollars and zero cents. But the value inherent in that new wardrobe could be measured in the teenager’s self-esteem, said Ennis, executive director of the nonprofit organization.

“If you feel good about the way you look, you’re going to have a better attitude, a better self-esteem,” she said. “We want these kids to have a successful school life and not be mocked.”

Since its founding in 1984, Clothes for Kids has helped about 22,000 children across Snohomish County dress for academic success, and Ennis has been at the helm from the beginning.

“It has truly become a project of passion for a number of people,” Ennis said, noting that some of the group’s 35 regular on-site volunteers have been involved with Clothes for Kids for a decade or more.

The Lynnwood-based organization serves:

• Children who qualify for government-assisted free or reduced-price school meals within the Edmonds School District as well as their younger, nonschool-age siblings. As of October, the district, which includes Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Edmonds and Woodway, had nearly 20,000 students enrolled, with 28.6 percent of them eligible for free or reduced-price meals, Ennis said.
• Children enrolled in Snohomish County Head Start or Early Head Start programs as well as their younger siblings. “We have been providing (service) to Head Start since it started in the 1980s,” Ennis said, noting that Head Start students from Everett and Monroe regularly visit Clothes for Kids’ shop.
• Children with emergency needs such as a house fire, sudden relocation or domestic abuse situation.
• Clients of the Little Red Schoolhouse, among others, Ennis said.

The program operates from mid-August through mid-June, with Clothes for Kids providing a full wardrobe for each child twice a year: once for fall/winter and again for spring/summer. Last year, Clothes for Kids served 1,700 children, providing 2,200 wardrobes of clothing, said Ennis.

Clothes for Kids Address: 16725 52nd Ave. W., Suite B., Lynnwood, WA 98037-5710 Phone: 425-431-7285 Web site: www.clothesforkids.org How to help Clothes for Kids accepts financial donations, in-kind donations and clothing donations. The nonprofit organization also is seeking to grow its board of directors from eight to 12 members, Executive Director Sharie Ennis said. “It’s a two-year commitment, renewable up to three times.” For more information on donations, volunteer opportunities or becoming a board member, go online to www.clothesforkids.org.

“We have new and used clothing items. The underwear and socks are all new. We try to have at least 50 percent of the shoes be new,” said Ennis, adding that for the past three years, Clothes for Kids has been the beneficiary of local Rotary sponsorship in Operation Warm, a national program that provides new coats to disadvantaged children.

This year, Clothes for Kids has received 430 new coats thanks to Rotary groups and Operation Warm, Ennis said. Last year, the group received nearly 500 new coats.

“We just feel really, really lucky to have that kind of support,” said Ennis, whose organization has received support from such organizations as the Boeing Bluebills and Kiwanis as well as Rotary.

Clothes for Kids clients shop at the store on a first-come, first-served basis. When families arrive, they are given a basket with shopping instructions. The clothing racks are labeled with item limits, and the store is divided by gender. There is an infant/toddler section as well as co-ed clothing racks or shelves for items such as sweatshirts, Ennis said.

“We give them about 40 minutes to shop so that we can accommodate as many clients here, up to 12 children at once,” she said, adding that the shop is open three mornings and two evenings a week. “... We recommend parents shop for no more than two kids at a time.”

Receiving no state or federal funds, the organization is funded through private grants and donations, Ennis said.

Clothes for Kids holds two annual fundraisers: an auction in September and Coins for Kids in March, which gives children in the Edmonds School District an opportunity to donate their pennies, nickels and other coins to help their peers.

The group also raises funds throughout the year, taking part in Albertsons’ Community Partnership program, Great Northwest Auctions’ vehicle donation program and Inkjet Frog’s inkjet recycling program, said Ennis, whose organization is active in the South Snohomish County and Greater Edmonds chambers of commerce.

Clothes for Kids also is a member of World Vision and receives a quarterly distribution from them, said Ennis, who plans to retire in February after 23 years as head of the organization.

For the 2004-05 fiscal year, Clothes for Kids had an operating budget of $488,238. Of that, $75,238 was cash, with the rest donated in-kind service, volunteer hours, and new and “like new” clothing and shoes.

“We have a lot of support in the community, and that’s how we exist,” Ennis said.