Carleton College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) will host its annual “Lighten Up!” Garage Sale on Friday, June 16 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, June 17 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Carleton’s West Gym. The popular sale converts the unwanted year-end possessions of Carleton students into bargains for area 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.
Each year, Carleton's Center for Community and Civic Engagement partners with three local non-profit organizations to organize the “Lighten Up!” Garage Sale. Proceeds from the sale are split between these 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. In 2016, the CCCE’s community garage sale raised over $30K for the local non-profits.
The West Gym will be filled with donated items on sale including clothing and outdoor gear, books, sporting goods, household items, furniture, bedding, electronics and much more. A staggering amount of material is collected each year and, although the sale provides a way to reuse these items instead of sending them to the landfill, it is also a sobering reminder of how much is acquired. Please come and support this amazing fundraiser and practice “greener” living.
For more information regarding the event, contact Cindy Plash at (507) 222-5477. The West Gym is located at 321 Division Street North (Highway 19 East) on the Carleton College campus in Northfield.
