Operation Dress Up!

Thanks so much!

2012-02-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

A huge thank you to Doris Bergman and her crew who threw a wonderful party today at Cafe La Boheme in West Hollywood. All guests were encouraged to bring clothing to donate to our charity. We had a great time and met so many nice people. Thanks for the support!

Sorry to our teachers for having to miss school today, but it was for a great cause!!

And the winner is ...

2012-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Operation Dress Up! has been chosen to be the official beneficiary of an upcoming Celebrity Gift Lounge/Pre-Oscar Party! We cannot disclose the location or the date, but for an entire day, we'll be collecting gently used clothing from party guests. We'll be sure to take a lot of pictures to share with you!! We'll also be setting up an online auction soon, with some items collected at the party to raise money to purchase gym clothes for kids who cannot afford them. Stay tuned!

Help a Homeless Family During the Holidays

2011-11-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

There are currently 16,000 identified homeless students in LAUSD. That's 3,000 up from last year! Operation Dress Up is sponsoring a family this holiday season and we hope you'll join us. Sign up to help and you will be assigned a needy LAUSD family and given their wish list. Grab a group of friends to pitch in. All donations are to be dropped off at the LAUSD Homeless Education offices, located at 1430 South Julian Street in Los Angeles or at two other district offices in Reseda or Gardena. Click here to learn more.

End of a Year ...

2011-05-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

As the school year comes to a close, we are thinking about the future. Some of us are leaving for college in the fall, others will be driving soon!! But what will not change, is our dedication to Operation Dress Up! and to raise awareness of homelessness in our community. We are brainstorming on how we can take this organization to the next level, by involving more kids and campuses across the country. Holding clothing drives is easy to do. We are hoping to become a resource to other students who would like to hold their own clothing drives. If you would like more information on how to put together a collection event, please email us at operationdressup@gmail.com. We'll have downloadable instructions and flyer templates on our website soon.

Thank you, Barnes & Noble/Westfield Topanga!

2011-02-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

During the holidays Barnes & Noble collected 1,000 books for Operation Dress Up! for a second year in a row. Our beneficiary was LAUSD's Homeless Education Program. Special thanks to managers Ken and Tracy for putting this together for us!

If you have new books, school supplies, clothing or gift cards you'd like to donate to LAUSD's Homeless Education Program, please call Wendy Tamaki-Ogata at 213.765.2896 or email her at wendy.tamaki-ogata@lausd.net.

NEW EVENT!

2010-11-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, Operation Dress Up! will again shift its focus from clothing and collect books for Los Angeles Unified School District’s Homeless Education Program with the help of a local Barnes & Noble store in Woodland Hills (6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd Suite 1340, Woodland Hills). Please visit this store and purchase an extra book or two for a needy child through December 31, 2010. Our goal is to collect two-thousand books this year for homeless peers. Last year we collected 1,500!

Summer's Almost Here!

2010-06-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy school year and we cannot believe it's just days from being over. Our 2nd quarter event was another book donation to LAUSD's Homeless Education Program, and we are now planning an event for the summer ... stay tuned for more information! We are looking forward to the much needed break and will be spending the time off cheering, dancing, learning how to drive and researching college campuses. To all our peers ... good luck with finals next week! -- Megan & Phoebe

2010-05-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

We met with Wendy Tamaki-Ogata from the LAUSD Homeless Education Program today and she informed us that homelessness among LAUSD's students continues to rise. Now more than ever before, parents are losing their jobs and their homes and many are living with friends or relatives, some in their cars. Many people may not realize that homelessness is defined by not having a permanent place to live. Those people who are staying with friends or family temporarily are indeed classified as homeless. This program is in dire need of donations, school uniforms and school supplies. For more information on how you can help, call (213) 765-2880.

Clothing Wanted for Haiti EQ Victims

2010-01-17T23:40:00.000-08:00

With the recent tragedy in Haiti, we at Operation Dress Up have chosen an additional beneficiary for Saturday's clothing drive.

Clothing collected will now be donated to the Haiti Quake Relief, as well as M.E.N.D.

Please show your support and join us from 1pm to 5pm at Yozen Frogurt, 6450 Platt Avenue in West Hills. We are accepting clothing of all sizes. Please be sure your donated garments are in very good condition.

Thank you!

Next Drive

2010-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from Operation Dress Up!

It's time to de-clutter your closet and reward yourself with a frozen treat from Yozen Frogurt!

Our next clothing drive will take place on Saturday, January 23, 2010 from 1pm to 5pm at Yozen Frogurt located at 6450 Platt Avenue in West Hills (Platt Village Mall). Each person who donates a bag of gently used clothing will receive a coupon for a complimentary frozen yogurt (one coupon per person, while supplies last). Clothing must be in very good condition.

All clothing collected from this drive will be delivered to M.E.N.D. (Meet Each Need with Dignity), a 99% volunteer-run organization that is committed to relieving the effects of poverty and creating a pathway to a better tomorrow.

Please join us!

Book Drive!

2009-11-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

As you know, we usually collect gently used clothing at our drives. However, now through December 31, 2009, we are collecting books at Barnes & Noble Westfield Promenade in Woodland Hills. All books that are collected will be donated to LAUSD's Homeless Education Program. Please take the time to visit the store (start your holiday shopping early!) and while you're there, pick out a book for a homeless student. We are accepting books for all ages of children, K-12th grade. Thank you, and look out for news on our next clothing drive slated for January of 2010!

-- julie

Delivered!

2009-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

All clothing collected from last month's drive was delivered to Beyond Shelter's Broadway Village II in South Los Angeles. Barbara Hill, Director of Neighborhood Services and Service-Enriched Housing and Services Coordinator, Kimberley were there to greet us and give us the grand tour. The clothing will be sorted and distributed by community volunteers and given to resident children.

-- Megan

End of the School Year Update

2009-06-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

I was very happy to see how many people came out to support us at our first collection drive. We collected more than I expected! Now that Phoebe's 8th grade graduation has passed, dance recitals and cheer camp are over, it's time to start planning our next collection event. We have been contacted by LAUSD's Homeless Student Program and we will be meeting with them soon to talk about how Operation Dress Up! can help. It'll be a full summer with summer school, cheer practice and planning our next drive for September.

-- Megan