New 2 You

“Not a lot of college students have the opportunity to work with so many people who are willing to talk with them and be involved in their lives.”

Meet Lily, one of our college students who can work in almost any area of the store and who has been at New 2 You since the COVID era.

Lily first started by volunteering as a high school student at Grand Rapids Christian High School, earning money for her Winterim trip to the Galápagos Islands. As a Winterim student, she vacuumed floors, dusted shelves, hung up clothes, and received a small introduction to New 2 You through hands-on experience.

When she was hired as a Saturday staff member, she primarily worked as a cashier. During her first shifts in this role, she remembers speaking to customers through masks and plexiglass and sanitizing the packing tables every few minutes—she has been glad to leave those COVID procedures in the past.

Now Lily works across days and shifts, greeting customers at the donation door, pricing housewares, sorting clothes, managing, and sometimes still cashiering. She has loved being able to grow at the store by working in different areas and learning about everything from top glassware names to how to close the store at the end of the night. She also brings home funny stories, like when a can of sardines was donated three days in a row. Working in the donation center is her favorite because she loves imagining the stories behind donations—particularly vintage ones—and sorting items away, which she finds very satisfying.

Best of all, Lily gets to know volunteers across shifts. Most volunteers have specific three-hour shift times, but since her schedule is fluid, the number of volunteers she meets multiplies. She loves talking with them and seeing how even new volunteers find corners of the store that interest them and then take ownership of their work.

Working at New 2 You is just one of Lily’s many activities. She is currently a junior at Calvin University studying biochemistry on the pre-medicine track. With this semester being lighter, she is studying for the MCAT. Between being on Calvin’s Improv team and serving in Knight-a-Thon leadership, her college experience is very well-rounded. Improv is something she has loved since her time at GRCHS, and Knight-a-Thon is a creative, skill-building way for her to work with a team to fundraise for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. She also loves to read, travel, rock climb, hike, and camp.

Lily is such a blessing to both our New 2 You community and the Calvin community. We are so thankful she has chosen to spend so many of her high school and college years with us. Thank you, Lily!

Ten years ago, Carol was volunteering in the Junior’s Clothing department, preparing items from brands that teens would recognize from the mall. At the same time, Shari had just begun volunteering regularly in the Kids’ Clothing department. As a seasoned volunteer who had been with New 2 You since day one, Carol invited Shari to join her for lunch, and the two have been friends ever since. Today, they volunteer side by side every Tuesday morning in the Kids’ Clothing department, sorting, pricing, and merchandising. Both agree that working together makes the work even more enjoyable and rewarding.

Carol grew up in Chicago, attended Calvin University, raised two children, and spent many years working in interior design. Shari grew up in Washington, also attended Calvin, worked for Hope Network, and raised three children. Despite these common threads, they didn’t know each other before volunteering at New 2 You. Now, they’ve discovered even more shared interests: a love of gardening and traveling, deep involvement in their communities, and even the experience of having a child living in Washington. “We can commiserate about that one together,” they laugh.

Carol first learned about New 2 You and its mission 22 years ago through her church bulletin and was immediately drawn in. Though she never considered herself much of a “thrifter,” she loved the idea of raising money for Christian education while also providing the community with affordable products. From the start, she poured her talents into the store, serving on the Board of Directors, helping as a Tuesday morning Day Manager, and using her design expertise to choose paint colors, carpeting, and merchandising that brought life to the store. Over the years, she has remained a dedicated Tuesday morning volunteer and now also leads devotions before the store opens. Some of her favorite mornings are when she prepares a devotion based on a volunteer’s favorite Bible verse and then listens to their story about why it matters to them.

When Shari began volunteering, she chose to work in the Kids’ Clothing department because she had younger children at the time and knew the fashion trends. Her children were attending Grand Rapids Christian Schools, which initially connected her to New 2 You. “The school connection brought me to volunteer, but the community is what really kept me going,” Shari explains.

Now, Shari and Carol love teaming up in Kids’ Clothing. They treat it as a challenge to see how much they can accomplish in a shift—pricing items, arranging displays, and debating whether a dress looks “Christmas-y enough” for the holiday collection. And of course, there’s always laughter. “There’s always someone laughing and talking about a funny donation they got,” Carol says. Both women treasure being part of the New 2 You community, where volunteers work as a team and everyone’s unique gifts make a difference.

Their gifts extend far beyond the store. Carol leads a Bible study she began 20 years ago, and she enjoys learning new skills like line dancing and mahjong. Shari is active at her church, volunteers with Kids’ Food Basket, and takes courses through the Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning (CALL).

As the needs in the Kids’ Clothing department continue to grow, Carol, Shari, and the rest of the team would love more helping hands. If you or someone you know might be interested, please reach out! When asked how she would “sell the experience,” Shari summed it up perfectly: “You’re always going to have something to do. You’ll be busy, and if you have kids or grandkids, you get first dibs on clothes. If you like to organize and have a challenge, this is for you. And it’s a great community!”