In 2003, Debbie Lundberg invited her three closest friends at the time to bring their extra hair care and make-up items to share with one another. That night, the extra items were tossed, and the taken items were enjoyed. It was a good night. That evening the decision was made to include shoes and candles in the next Exchange-o-Rama. From there, clothes and home goods were added. By the second EoR
, the extra items were donated to a charity. Debbie used to have people all bring an appetizer, and the event went on for hours and hours. She and her husband would bag up things after everyone left about 10:30 PM. Eventually, large lawn bags were distributed as part of the experience of the swap, and the clean-up became an aspect of the event that solidified the donation portion of the in kind items for all who attended. Since there was excess food, she started only asking 3-5 people to bring something to drink and 3-5 people to bring something to eat to share with everyone. Soon there was very little extra food and drink, so there was not a lot of waste. Similarly, the time was shortened so that people could plan around it, and not have people popping in and out, as the event was the experience. Finally, the Favorite Find with Introductions was added most recently. Many of the women would see each other each quarter at EoR, but they did not know each other. By wrapping up the night with the introductions and sharing one favorite find to let everyone see it, and give the giver a chance to “take credit” for it brought fun and pride to the experience of giving and getting! With little fanfare, and a lot of smiles, a “Queen of the Favorite Finds” is announced after everyone has introduced herself and shared her most prized “get” from the night. Each quarter, the charitable contribution of $10 per attendee, is given to a local charity. Each quarter something different, such as ball gowns for Prom events for foster children, or towels and sheets for the Humane Society, are requested as well. This way, an organization gets items they are seeking, some other organization gets funding, and finally, the entity that collects the remaining items has them to distribute and benefit more people, too! A couple of times a year, at the request of colleagues, groups or friends, a public EoR is hosted. At one such event in 2012, while much fun was had, and many charities benefited, a woman approached Debbie about making a profit from EoR. When it was explained that this was a give-back and not a take-now approach, the woman sadly announced she was going to make it a “business”. That night, Jane Mak, Michael Lundberg, and Debbie Lundberg decided to research creating a formal 501(c)3. In 2013, the paperwork was started, and with a few missteps corrected, the process was underway, and remains as Exchange-o-Rama, Inc. for the purposes of being a charitable entity. Christine Ruiz, who had attended for years, joined as well, so there are four of us who prepare and support EoR 4-6 times a year. The experience, like the intent of EoR, took an unfortunate occurrence, and made the most of the impact…and resulted in something that will hopefully live to serve others for many years to follow. EoR is a tradition, an experience, and something worthwhile for those attending and hosting! Exchange-O-Rama (EOR) is all about:
• Gathering
• Giving
• Getting
Exchange-o-Rama is the time to gather to eat, drink and swap clothes, books, CDs, DVDs, photo frames, hair products, make-up, perfume, lotions, shoes, personal items, jackets, home goods, purses, candles, etc…and more importantly, benefit one or more local charities!
