While on an Alumni Council Zoom meeting this past fall, Alumni Outreach Committee Chair Kittie DeLuca Pain ’00 and committee member Maureen Carroll Martin ’86 simultaneously had a “light bulb moment.”
Daniel DeHollander, associate director of career development in the Center for Experience and Opportunity (CEO), was giving a presentation to the Alumni Council members about the CEO. When he mentioned the CEO’s Career Closet — a collection of new and gently used work attire that is available free of charge to all students — Pain and Martin knew this could be a wonderful opportunity for the four established regional alumni chapters to make a difference. They soon connected with DeHollander, and he agreed.
“From the moment our Student Ambassadors presented this plan to the alumni chapters, I knew there’d be great enthusiasm and follow through,” DeHollander says. “Alumni have always been great supporters of CEO initiatives because they understand the value of experiential learning, and this year, they have donated their clothing/accessories and time like never before while simultaneously engaging their personal and professional networks to do the same.”
Throughout the month of January, the Maryland-based chapters in Carroll County and Montgomery County, as well as the chapters in Philadelphia and South-central Pennsylvania, helped collect donations to take to the college. With outreach through email and social media, the chapter leaders were pleased with the response they received.
“This is the first time the CEO partnered with the alumni chapters to promote their restock event and we’re looking forward to it growing,” says Pain.
When sharing on her personal Facebook page in early January, Martin immediately received a message from a friend whose daughter used to work at McDaniel.
“She volunteers at a thrift store in Bethesda, Maryland, and they had about 40 men’s suits in their back room that they couldn’t seem to sell, but they didn’t want to just trash them,” she says. “She gave us 15 garment bags of suits in all sizes, with a few women’s suits and jackets in the mix as well. It filled up my trunk and more!”
As additional alumni began to reach out and word spread in local groups, the pile of donations grew. “I’ve truly enjoyed working with the chapters to develop creative solutions to get items to campus,” DeHollander says. “I am so grateful for the new connections we’ve established for the benefit of students.”
Ultimately, the CEO Career Closet saw its inventory grow to more than 800 items thanks to new items received during this January’s clothing drive. Due to the generosity of alumni and other community members, students will now have access to free suits, dress shirts, dress pants, skirts, dresses, shoes, belts, accessories, and more that they can wear to job interviews, career fairs, internships, and other professional settings.
“This is an easy way for alumni to connect with current students,” Martin says. “It shows current students that alumni care about them and will help them succeed in any way they can. That’s invaluable!”