CookieĬloudflare sets this cookie to identify trusted web traffic. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. “Any time we have the option to volunteer for the community, it’s almost a no brainer where you practice what you preach,” he said.Ĭontact Kai at. He is inspired to give back to people who are dependent on quarters.
MEET FRESH FREE
The atmosphere the free laundry day creates for the community and people in the industry can’t be duplicated, he said. He said he owned two laundromats in South Florida: one in Coconut Creek and another in North Lauderdale. Dan Yoon, regional business development manager of Laundrylux, said his company represents the Electrolux equipment line, a Swedish home manufacturing company. The free laundry day would be about 38% of the laundromat’s typical weekly profit, he said. “It was part of my goal before I even opened to include that,” she said.ĭan Prines, owner of Wash King located at 210 NE 16th Ave., said he’s been in the laundromat business for 37 years and has eight locations in Gainesville. She built a specific room for the literacy program to have a space for volunteers to read to kids and offer free books, Padgett said. “I wanted to bring this event to Gainesville because my vision for my laundromat was to be a place for community resources,” said Maritza Padgett, owner of Fresh Laundry & Cafe located at 3830 SW 13th St. “I really think it’s important for families to be engaged in programs that have opportunities where they can do things to feel really good about being a parent,” Johnston said. Johnston enjoys working with parents to show them they are their child’s first and most important teacher, she said. Julie Johnston, family advocate, said Episcopal Children’s Services helps children prepare for school, such as school readiness initiatives for kids and families.ĮCS sends volunteers twice a week to laundromats to read to children during a specific time or while their parents do laundry. “We’re paying so much for electricity so that worked for me,” she said. She picked up a flyer for the event from the Sankofa Public Library in Ocala. Sonia Ibarrondo, 52, said she sorts her laundry into six sections: towels, blankets, black clothes, red clothes, colorful clothes and white clothes. “When your family is going to get their laundry done, they can have activities that engage them in literacy and overall help them to be successful.” “It’s really important to offer resources like this to the community to show that we care,” she said. It facilitates background screenings for volunteers of the ReadingPals program at the laundromat, she said. UW partners with Loads of Learning GNV to provide literacy and volunteering opportunities at the laundry facilities, Brown said. Rahkiah Brown, director of community impact at United Way, said the organization is a nonprofit organization that receives funds from workplace campaigns, and that money is used for nonprofits in the community through grants. “I feel like we made a lot of people happy,” she said. Her job allows her to identify root causes of systemic challenges, Raskin said, and she strives to find ways in collaboration that helps the community thrive. “Laundromats are a very common place for individuals to go that often don’t have a lot of engaging things for kids to do,” Raskin said. The city of Gainesville, United Way of North Central Florida, Episcopal Children Services and the county libraries worked together to create Loads of Learning GNV, said Karissa Raskin, the city’s manager of systems change and special projects. The foundation once raised $30,000 in 15 minutes, Hansen added. The foundation pays for the laundry using donations from nonprofit organizations such as the Clinton Foundation and Rand Corporation, he said. It was rewarding to put smiles on people’s faces, Hansen said. Three goals of the foundation are to provide free laundry days throughout the country, promote childhood literacy in the laundromat and create a national free laundry day. The foundation is the charitable arm of the Coin Laundry Association, the national industry group for laundromat owners, Hansen said. Paul Hansen, laundromat owner of Su Neuva Lavanderia in Chicago, said he’s a board member of the Laundr圜ares Foundation and joined four years ago. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” “This was a wonderful idea, especially with people that have a lot of kids in their families,” she said.
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