For Immediate Release: June 4, 2007
Contact: Marsha Nishi Mullan
610-328-8535
http://www.swarthmore.edu/news

First Annual Trash 2 Treasure Sale
June 15 & 16 to Benefit Chester Ministries

Swarthmore students Juliana Macri '09 and Marina Isakowitz '09 knew there had to be a better use for all the beautiful things their friends were throwing away rather than packing to take home. Just because they were too heavy to carry home or wouldn't fit in the suitcase or were too expensive or too much hassle to mail didn't mean someone else might not value these items.

So, Macri and Isakowitz talked to more friends and students at other colleges and came up with the first annual Swarthmore College Trash 2 Treasure sale to be held on Friday and Saturday, June 15 and 16, in the Lamb-Miller Fieldhouse.

"These sales have been enthusiastically received in other communities. People love them—they know they can get really cool stuff for not very much money," said Macri.

"And the important thing is, we're reducing the waste that all of this throw-away would have created, and we're donating all the cash from the sale to the Chester Education Fund and Chester Eastside Ministries," said Isakowitz.

It hasn't been easy.  Isakowitz and Macri, both rising juniors, have stayed on campus beyond the end of the school year with a band of other student volunteers to work many hours gathering and sorting "a lot of great stuff—not just for students, but for anyone, from kids to adults," emphasized both organizers. "There's designer clothing and a lot of shoes, small electronics, furniture, lamps, mini-fridges, toys and games, storage units, and, of course, books." They've gathered truckloads of merchandise from all the residence halls at Swarthmore.

The first annual Swarthmore College Trash 2 Treasure sale is open to the public. It will be held in the Lamb-Miller Fieldhouse on Friday, June 15, from 4-8 p.m. (If you wish to pay $5, you may enter an hour early [3 p.m.] and get a chance at the best items!); and Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information about the sale, please contact Juliana Macri at jmacri1@swarthmore.edu or 603-380-4580. For directions to the College, go to http://www.swarthmore.edu/detour.xml.

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