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A brief explanation about the ‘Walk-in Closet’
"The walk-in closet was started in 2009/2010 in a small storage room at Parkview Secondary School. The feel of The Walk-In Closet is similar to a Thrift Store. The purpose of the closet is to provide students and sometimes their families with clean clothing that they might not otherwise have. This year (2010/2011) the staff reorganized and added a whole new section for toiletries and hygiene supplies.
The closet relies on donations from Parkview’s partners, staff, family, friends, trading with other centres, and donations from the community in general. We have received some grants that are used to purchase work clothing, essential clothing, seasonal clothing, storage bins/racks, toiletries, etc.
New to the closet this year is a section allocated for work clothes that students need for co-op placements. The Walk-In Closet staff hope to expand the Co-Op Placement Clothing Section and are always looking for new ways to meet the individual needs of the students. Similarly, there is also a “Glamour Closet” that provides dress clothes on loan to students for special occasions (e.g,. the Prom).
Ms. Walters was the first staff member to run the Walk-In Closet. Her work experience in retail and knowledge of the students’ individual and family needs are instrumental in ensuring students get what they need. Mrs. Leach and Ms. Cowan-Johnson joined Ms. Walters in the fall and together they were able to streamline, reorganize, and implement an effective system for managing the closet.
Sometimes the Walk- In Closet provides a safe place where the students can get their concrete needs met; they can also stop for a chat or just a check-in to let someone know how their day is going."
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