If you are in need of a little discovery adventure, the American Cancer Society (ACS) Discovery Shop, at 6814 Roosevelt Way N.E., may hold the answer for you. From 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, you are bound to find two groups of people here: shoppers who come in to discover great deals and volunteers who give their time for a meaningful cause.The ACS Discovery Shops started in California. Since the store opened its door on Roosevelt Way in 1982, it has raised almost $ 2 million for the American Cancer Society. The University of Washington Medical Center receives the majority of the money collected by the stores for cancer research.Now, the store needs help from the community. "The volunteer pool is aging, so we're desperately in need of volunteers to sort clothes and donations, mark them or to sell them," explained Carol Kalkwarf, a volunteer at the Roosevelt store.GIVING BACKIdeally, the store would be staffed with 42 volunteers as it was two years ago. Each volunteer would have duty once a week. Today, it only has about 25 volunteers. One of the ladies helps out at the store up to four days a week."One man had arm injury; he had to quit," Kalkwarf said. "People are getting older and have health issues. Also, women are working now.""The store was started by a group of ladies," explained William LaVergne, the Pacific Northwest Division Discovery Shops director. "Most of them were cancer survivors or had family members who had the disease. A couple decades ago, many women were stay-home mothers; many looked for ways to give back to the community. So they went to American Cancer Society and asked for support for the operation of a Discovery Shop." The Discovery Shop is not an average thrift shop. "We sell a lot of quality stuff," Kalkwarf said. "One volunteer sorts the books, jewelry, purses.... Stuff that don't do well get sent to Salvation Army or we give to the homeless."HELPING STUDENTSIn Wallingford, there is a little, white house that serves an equally important cause. The Assistance League Bargain Fair thrift shop, 1415 N. 45th St., benefits students from kindergarten to seventh grade with its Operation School Bell program and rewards community-college students of low and moderate income with scholarships. Profits from the thrift shop are used to purchase new clothing for grade-school children through the Operation School Bell program. Social workers at local schools refer children to the house next to the shop, where they can receive winter coats, jeans, shirts, underwear and shorts for the school year.Last year, 1,000 children wore new clothing, thanks to Operation School Bell. "When you see the younger ones, they're just dancing up and down," said Janet Manning, a volunteer at the Bargain Fair for 13 years.There are about 120 members in the Assistance League of Seattle. Everyone is a dedicated member who agrees to contribute time to the organization's philanthropic programs at least twice a year. "Anybody who would like to be a member, we would love to have," Manning said. "It's really worthwhile."For more information, contact ACS Discovery Shop at 524-3399, and the Assistance League of Seattle Bargain Fair at 547-4680.[[In-content Ad]]
