Clothes To Kids of Denver Appoints
New Executive Director
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Clothes To Kids of Denver (CTKD) has announced the appointment of
Valerie Lunka (right in photo) as its new executive director. Lunka has served as CTKD’s development director since 2014 and will now oversee the operation of the organization. Lunka has extensive nonprofit experience in Colorado. In addition to her five years at CTKD, she spent 11 years as the development director at
Advocates for Children.
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“We are thrilled to announce Val’s promotion to executive director of Clothes To Kids of Denver,” said
Nik Stoffel, chair of CTKD’s board of directors. “Val’s familiarity with all aspects of the organization, proven leadership, fundraising and networking skills, nonprofit experience and overall passion for Clothes To Kids make her the ideal person to lead our organization into the future. Under Val’s leadership, we expect that our entire team will continue to build on our past success with an unwavering focus on serving more kids in the Denver metro area.”
Lunka follows
Katie Jones Jadwin (left in photo) as executive director.
During her six years in that position, Jadwin was instrumental in the organization’s growth, achieving the goal of serving more than 10,000 kids in 2018. Highlights of her time with CTKD include doubling the store space in a 2014 remodel, the addition of seven staff members and significant increases in the organization’s operating budget. During her tenure, CTKD established its signature fundraiser event, the Blue Jean Bash, which will take place for the fifth year in a row on September 21, 2019. Jadwin started with CTKD as an intern in 2010. She later became a paid employee and served as program director prior to her promotion to executive director.
Following her move to Minnesota, Jadwin will remain with the organization, continuing to lead communication efforts and grant writing as communications director.
“Clothes To Kids is grateful for Katie’s leadership as executive director, and she deserves much of the credit for the organization’s year-over-year growth in the number of kids we’ve served,” Stoffel said. “We are fortunate to have Katie remain with CTKD as communications director, maintaining continuity in our grants, communications and marketing activities.”
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A Warm Welcome to Sarah and Victoria!
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Meet our new merchandising coordinator,
Sarah Sheehan
! Sarah joined the team in late May and works closely with volunteers to process donations, uphold quality standards and maintain a diverse selection of merchandise. Sarah has been a volunteer with CTKD since 2017 and brings a ton of energy, plus a wealth of experience in customer service and project management to her new position. Welcome, Sarah!
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Meet our new operations manager,
Victoria Cantor! Victoria joined the team this month and is in charge of many important aspects of helping CTKD run smoothly, including event support, technology, purchasing, compliance and billing. Victoria has been a volunteer with CTKD since 2012. She has purchased thousands of items for our students as a deal finder, often with the expert help of her husband and three daughters. Welcome, Victoria!
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Summer Service Highlights
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Amp the Cause's
Community Day was a huge success! First,
Scott
from
Hensel Phelps
created built-in storage for our office and shelving for our new break area. Then, a group from
Mortenson Construction
painted our office and back room, sealed our new storage shelves, assisted shoppers, cleaned, sorted and stocked. Special thanks to
Guiry's
and
Benjamin Moore
for donating the paint and supplies!
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Our long-time Apparel Partner
Next Day Valet Dry
Cleaning
held their annual back-to-school clothing drive in June and July. Each summer since 2013, owners
Marsha
and
Allan Walts
have collected donations and professionally cleaned each piece before personally delivering everything to our shop. This year they collected 3,400 items! A caring company that we are proud to partner with.
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The
Nike Factory Store
in Lakewood received shoes that they couldn’t sell due to some minor defects. Before donating them, their team wanted to make them special and cover the damage, so they held a shoe painting and dip dyeing event. In a society where most retailers destroy and discard usable product, this Nike store’s efforts and commitment to salvage and beautify damaged product are truly outstanding!
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Meet
Avery
! She asked guests attending her 8th birthday party to bring clothing and shoe donations for our shoppers instead of gifts. We are grateful for Avery's generosity, which will help other students thrive in school. Happy birthday, Avery!
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Kudos to the multiple groups of hard-working young women from
National Charity League (NCL)
who have taken turns putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls in every section of our boutique over the past couple months. Our space looks like new for back-to-school shoppers!
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We are so proud to be an
eWomenNetwork Denver
grant recipient! Each year eWomen chapters around the country raise funds for local nonprofits dedicated to serving the needs of women and children in their communities. Our newest board member,
Jenn Zucker
, had the honor of being invited to the eWomen Annual Conference in Dallas, TX to receive the funds.
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The
Young Professionals of CTKD
planned an amazing
Boujee Backyard Brunch
. Guests enjoyed brunch, mimosas/manmosas, networking and turtle watching, plus lots of fun and games. Thank you to everyone who attended!
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Long time supporter
Di Diamond
hosted an impressive
Facebook birthday fundraiser benefitting Clothes To Kids. 84 donors raised a total of $4,500! This is the second year that Di has supported us in this way AND the most a birthday fundraiser has ever collected for CTKD. Thank you for your generosity, Di!
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Lexi
and
Rechelle
from
Attic Salt
delivered 62 new backpacks last week...just in time for the back-to-school rush! Thank you to their entire team for this wonderful donation. Our shoppers are loving them!
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Blue Jean Bash Tickets On Sale Now!
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Clothes To Kids 2018 Annual Report
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We are pleased to share this 2018 Annual Report highlighting our achievements and the continued dedication of our incredible community of supporters. We extend a heartfelt thank you to all who have allowed us to impact the lives of students across the Denver Metro Area.
Click
HERE
to read the report.
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ABOUT CLOTHES TO KIDS OF DENVER
Clothes To Kids of Denver provides new and quality used clothing in a boutique setting to students from low-income or in-crisis families in the Denver Metro area.
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Since 2008 CTKD has provided nearly 60,000 school wardrobes to students in need, completely free of charge. Please join us in celebrating our accomplishments of the past, and help ensure our continued success in the future. Visit us online at
www.clothestokidsdenver.org
or call 720-379-4630.
Take a look inside our boutique, and see how Clothes To Kids changes the lives of deserving students:
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