Bailey Schrock, Workroom Supervisor,
shared how being part of something
larger than yourself connects you with
others. Volunteers have donated over
640 hours per week, which is a con-
servative estimate. The number one
way of recruiting volunteers is through
word of mouth so she encouraged us to
talk and invite others to Crowded Clos-
et.
Wilbur Mast also shared how he turns
metal into money for Crowded Closet
by recycling appliances, microwaves and
other metals.
Thanks to all our volunteers for your
contribution and thanks to the Wayland
Mennonite ladies for the hospitality giv-
en that evening.
The Board of Directors of Crowded Closet is pleased to wel-
come Carey Miller to the position of General Manager. Carey
has over 25 years of management and financial experience in both
private industry and church related organizations. Carey moved
to Iowa 3 years ago and is married to Joanie (Schweitzer) Miller.
Carey is already fitting in well with the Crowded Closet team and
is enjoying getting to know the volunteers. If you have not met
Carey stop in and introduce yourself.
The Fall Association Meeting took
place on September 21st at Wayland
Mennonite Church. The churches
were represented well with 48 people
present at the meeting. Gerry
Klopfenstein led a time of devotions
based on 1 Peter 3:13-15. Roger
Farmer, board chair, introduced new
board members, Sherry Schrock and
Fred Gingerich. Also introduced was
Carey Miller, the new General Manag-
er. Betsy Slabaugh, Retail Manager,
gave a PowerPoint titled “The Six
Month Rollercoaster” telling about the
various events that took place in the
last six months. Colorful comparisons
were made to these up and down
events. There were steep hills to climb
and staff leaving, throwing us for a
loop! The overall message: persever-
ance is the key to change.
A financial report was given.
March-August ‘15
Gift Shop $15,352.54
Thrift Shop $432,152.59
Salvage Sales $11,598.22
MCC contributions $225,000.00
Community Vouchers $27,816.29
Fall Association Meeting
Crowded Closet 1 2 1 3 G I L B E R T C T , I O W A C I T Y 2 0 1 5 F A L L
N E W S L E T T E R
S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :
thecrowedclosetthriftstore
Web site:
crowdedcloset.org
Phone: 319-337-5924
Emails:
To volunteer:
Store questions:
Retail/Gift:
New General Manager
Volunteers needed for:
Furniture Foreign Currency Cashiering Recycling Job Opening:
Full time Furniture Coor-dinator. This position would in-volve managing the daily operations of the Furni-ture area, overseeing donations, managing volunteers.
1. Sweater Upcycle 2. Wall Decoration 3. Hair Accessory Dé-
cor 4. Welded Bike 5. Bird Bath
P A G E 2
Crowded Closet
has an Up-cycle
Contest every
year starting in
July and ending
in October.
Up-Cycle Contest winners:
1st place for the 2015 Upcycle con-
test was an up-cycled sweater. The trim
was added, made of bicycle tire, a reflec-
tor for the closure was put on and bicy-
cle chain parts sewn on for decoration.
The Up-cycle Contest is an annual event where customers can buy
something in the store and restore it, refurbish it, or re-make it into
something else. The Up-cycle Contest typically runs July through
October. This first and second place was decided on by customer
vote. Popcorn was served at the event reveal and customers en-
joyed seeing the Up-cycle projects.
2nd place was a wall décor with plac-
es to keep your hair accessories. This
was made with an old window frame,
and a bicycle basket. Materials for hair
accessories were purchased at Crowd-
ed Closet.
C R O W D E D C L O S E T
Entries
P A G E 3
Bailey Rob Neera Christine Betsy Carey
Two new
board mem-
bers started
on the board
this fall.
Sherry
Schrock
and
Fred
Gingerich.
Introducing: New Board Members
Staff at
Crowded
Closet
General Manager, Carey Miller, Financial, staff organization, board relations
Retail Manager, Betsy Slabaugh, retail floor, displays, gift shop
Workroom Supervisor, Bailey Schrock, workroom organization, volunteers
Workroom Assistant, Christine Maust Beachy, assisting volunteers, cashier scheduling
Furniture Assistant, Rob Crader, pick-up & deliveries, furniture pricing
International Exchange Volunteer Program, Neera Ghising Tamang, assisting with all
aspects of the store
Not pictured:
Janitor, Brandon Burke, store cleaning
Saturday Help: Miigun Rotary, Caitlin Harrington, & Kasey Bullerman.
The mission of Crowded Closet is to share God’s love and compassion by sup-porting Mennonite Central Committee
and local relief agencies through the sale of
donated and fair-trade items.
Bob Cumings Roger Farmer Fred Gingerich
Donna Yoder Sherry Schrock Jane Schlabaugh Vi Graber
plugged in.
The staff has been working on
open lines of communication.
One way of keeping volunteers
aware of what is happening in the
various departments is the De-
partment of the Month. This is a
flyer hung around the workroom
highlighting one or two depart-
ments and it changes each
month. The managers and staff
want to recognize the hard work
all departments are putting in as
well as let those working in other
departments see what is going on
across the workroom.
Volunteers mark your
calendars!
Wednesday, December 2nd
The workroom has been keeping
us very busy with the last of the
summer donations coming in. As
we make the transition into fall and
winter we are beginning to put out
our holiday decorations. Farmers
are spending more time out in the
field so we can always use new
helpers in our furniture and sorting
areas while they bring in the har-
vest. As you begin to retreat in-
doors this winter please consider
spending some of your time up
here at the Closet. We have jobs
for everyone and there is always
fresh coffee to warm you up. Next
time you are at the store feel free
to stop in the office to say hello
and one of the staff would be hap-
py to show you around the work-
room and see where you can get
Crowded Closet proudly supports Mennonite
Central Committee. MCC is a global, nonprof-
it organization that strives to share God’s love
and compassion for all through relief, develop-
ment and peace. MCC is an Anabaptist organi-
zation striving to make peace a part of every-
thing they do. When responding to disasters
MCC works with local groups to distribute re-
sources in ways that minimize conflict. In de-
velopment work they plan with community and
church groups to make sure the projects meet
their needs. MCC advocates for policies that
will lead to a more peaceful world.
Volunteering at Crowded Closet:
*Crowded Closet, changing lives locally and around the world.
Crowded Closet Board of Directors:
Roger Farmer, Board Chair
Donna Yoder, Vice Chair
Vi Graber, Secretary
Fred Gingerich,
Treasurer
Jane Schlabaugh
Bob Cumings
We’re on the web!
Crowdedcloset.org
1213 Gilbert Court
Iowa City, IA 52240
Phone: 319-337-5924
Email: [email protected]
*If you would like to volunteer please
contact the
Crowded Closet at
319-337-5924 or email us at
Bailey Schrock, Workroom Supervisor