Cheeky Does Charity

The best books I have read over the last few months have been selections made by the members of my book club. Once a month, 8 to 10 of the cheekiest girls I know get together to clink wine glasses, pop appetizers and oogle over our favorite parts of some fantastic books. In between meetings we try to meet socially, to gallivant around town and just have an excuse to get together for some laughs and a rowdy time. Whomever is hosting the book club meeting in a particular month, gets to pick the place we all head for our mid-month rendezvous.

This month my Cheeky Does Charity heartstrings were tickled when our book club host suggested we go the charitable route for our social night. Her idea was clever and made for a heck of a fun evening. She suggested we all take some time and go through our closets collecting clothes we didn’t wear any longer, clothes that no longer fit and clothes we would like to donate. Her idea was that we bring our trash and treasures to her house, we shop through each others give-aways, and donate whatever is not claimed at the end of the night to a woman’s consignment shop.

We brought trash bags, grocery bags and duffle bags of clothing over to her house. The door man at her building had to think we were all moving in to her one bedroom apartment for an aggressive amount of time. The night started with wine, appetizers and some good ole fashioned catching up. As the sun set, we started pining to see what the others brought. We scattered her house with piles of pants in the living room, skirts and dresses on the couch, shirts and sweaters in the bedroom and shoes somewhere in-between the kitchen and the front door. With clothes everywhere we slowly started with a show-and-tell sort of “this is what I brought, what did you bring?” That quickly grew into us tossing things in each others’ direction with comments like “OMG, perfect for you”.

Before long, we were in and out of countless fashion fiestas and fiascos. I found items that seemed to be meant for me and not the original owner and I found items that were just laughable when I put them on. We were a mixed group of different sizes and shapes. Not one of us was built like the next. I found myself fitting into clothing from others that I would have never expected – it was wonderful. When was the last time I left a party with armfuls of free clothes??? Genius, simply genius.

Don’t get me wrong, we had a lot left over…pants of all sizes, skirts of all lengths and shirts that, regardless of body shape or individual taste, had never been worn by the original owner and just didn’t work on the rest of us. We re-packed the unclaimed items and contently knew that these items were going to the hands of someone who would be able to professionally and affordably dress for work; someone who would be able to budget their month with a little more ease and still look great in a new outfit; someone who would simply see our donated clothing as new treasures of their own. We readied the bags to be donated to an organization called Sarah’s Circle and their consignment store, Full Circle.

Book club or not, grab a group of girls and give your closest a little spring cleaning. Dress up your friends and enhance your own wardrobe at the same time. Give what is left to those in need. If you would be interested in donating to the same, Sarah’s Circle is always in need. For more information, please click here. Our charitable spring clean was a wonderful time. But then again, giving to others always is.