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Our History Molly's World / The Clothing Exchange was founded in 2013 after the birth of my daughter, Molly. Molly was born with Down's syndrome. I didn't know Molly was going to be born with Down 's syndrome. That moment changed my life forever. In more ways than I could have ever imagined. I knew I was going to have to do something extraordinary to make sure she has the most amazing life possible. It also made me realize how fortunate I was to have this healthy, joyous gift in my life. I thought I would need to do something to pay it forward to help others who may not be so fortunate. About a year earlier, I had approached my sister in law about the idea of getting our friends and family together to participate in a clothing exchange. My husband and have 6 children altogether and what a blessing something like that could be to not only my family, but the families we would come in contact with. After talking it over for some time, we decided to put it on the back burner, as we couldn't come up with a fair and organized way to do it. Once Molly was born, I approached my mother, who lives in the basement of my house, about allowing me to set up a few clothing racks in her living room, for others to bring their clothing to even trade for trade these items. (Any items we are not interested in taking for The Clothing Exchange, we give them the option of donating them to any of the other non - profit or local agencies in Elk River and surrounding communities.) After my mother so graciously agreed, The Clothing Exchange was born. As I started putting my plan in place, I realized how easy it would be to start collecting the clothing that other families are no longer needing, and donate them to those who do. I decided to then "open it to the public" by making a Facebook page and inviting others to participate. As I realized how big this idea really was, I decided to really take this seriously. I approached the Elk River Lions Club about sponsoring me for a 501(c) 3 Non Profit Corporation registration, and they graciously accepted. That was 1 year ago and over 1100 people later. Out of my garage, office and basement, we have donated over 6 tons of clothing, shoes, textiles and bedding to over 1000 people state wide and to the Philippines. As well as numerous families in the community, foster system, domestic violence advocacy, and local homeless organizations. We also donate on a regular basis to 2 of the largest homeless shelters in Minneapolis. Since we really have outgrown my house, I realized we could really do more to help the community by getting out of my home and into a retail location that anyone could patronize.