Carleton College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement will host its annual Lighten Up! Garage Sale on Friday, June 21 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, June 22 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the West Gym on the Carleton campus. The popular annual sale converts the unwanted year-end possessions of Carleton students into bargains for local residents and cash for local charities. The sale is held every year during Carleton’s reunion weekend and the CCCE advises shoppers to shop early and often!
As in previous years, the West Gym will be filled with the donated belongings of Carleton’s student body. Items on sale include clothing (including winter gear), books, sporting goods, household items, furniture, bedding, electronics and much more.
Proceeds from the sale are typically split between three Northfield nonprofits: Project Friendship, which teams up with Carleton and St. Olaf students to offer mentoring programs for local youth; The Key (Northfield Union of Youth), a nonprofit youth center run by young people; and the Northfield Area Special Olympics, which offers opportunities for disabled people to get involved in sports. Last year’s Lighten Up! Garage Sale raised over $22,000 for the three nonprofits.
The College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) encourages students to donate to Lighten Up!, not only because of the money raised but because donating goods is an excellent means of recycling. Donation bags are dropped at student residences; students can then drop their bags at a collection point, which are located in the first-floor lounges of all residence halls and campus houses.
For more information regarding the event, contact the CCCE at (507) 222-7020. The West Gym is located off Highway 19 East on the Carleton College campus in Northfield.
