Vividly colored dresses, lightly worn shoes, shirts and jeans of all sizes, shapes and hues neatly lined the walls of a Norman elementary school gymnasium Saturday as it was turned into a momentary thrift store boutique for a noble cause.The first Norman Clothes Swap, started by a few women from Redeemer Church in Norman, NYC group gives away prom dresses to Sandy victims.was held from 10 a.m. to noon at Roosevelt Elementary School. Shoppers were encouraged to bring clothes to donate, or swap, or just to come and purchase from the various donations received earlier.The event raised money to provide clothing and supplies for at-risk women in the greater Oklahoma City area, and all of the extra clothes will be donated to various local community groups that help women in need, said Jenny LaBahn, the event's organizer.A few agencies in the area that work to assist at-risk women tabled at the swap and discussed the importance of the event.Vanessa Morrison, representative from the Women's Resource Center of Norman, a domestic violence and emergency shelter for women, expressed how important this event was in helping to provide much-needed clothing for the agency.
"The women that come to the Women's Resource Center of Norman often have nowhere else to go, and many come in with no shoes or their babies come in with no clothes, literally in a diaper, so the Norman Clothes Swap is very important for us because it pulls together the community resources to provide those clothing articles for the residence of our shelter," Morrison said.Other representatives of local organizations devoted to assisting women expressed the event's significance not only in raising funds and receiving donations, but also in spreading the word about local agencies and getting in contact with individuals interested in helping in their communities."The Norman Clothes Swap is a great chance for us to meet people who are interested in partnering with us," said Corrie Matchell, a representative from the Spero Project, an organization that mobilizes the church to under-resourced populations, mainly in Oklahoma City.