Teen Closet opens door to children, adults in need

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On the last Wednesday of every month, teens such as 15-year-old Samson Ayele tumble out the door of Bellevue's Youth Link office down to the basement to set up racks of jeans, shirts, prom dresses, and tables of shoes and refreshments.

Then they wait for their customers: homeless kids, kids from low-income families, middle schoolers and high schoolers. Teen Closet is a program run by children, helping other children in need.

During the fall of 2000, members of Youth Link, a city-sponsored program, made helping teens living on the street a goal for the new year. At the same time, ASSISTEENS, part of the Assistance League of the Eastside, was looking for a way to get donated clothing to teens.

More information • Teen Closet is in the basement of Blakemore House, 10001 N.E. Fourth St., Bellevue. It's open from 5 to 7 p.m. the last Wednesday of the month. Donations of new or gently used clean clothing are welcome. For information, call 425-452-5254. • The Kirkland Teen Union Building, 348 Kirkland Ave., offers clothes and personal products the first Friday of every month during "Gear Up." For information, call 425-822-9349.

"It was two ideas working at the same time," said Helena Stephens, director of teen services for the city of Bellevue.

Now in its second year, Teen Closet is overflowing, said Patrick Alina, Youth Link coordinator. Three to five bags of donations come in each day from parents whose children have outgrown their clothes, people who feel an urge to do something for the community, and from teens who organize clothing drives.

Though some of the donated items are a bit shabby, Ayele, a freshman at Bellevue High School, wants people to know the volunteers don't pass those on.

"We want the teens to feel cared about," he said.

Teen Closet also receives corporate donations. When Polo Jean Co. closed in Bellevue Square last year, it donated clothes worth $17,000.

The closet gets about 30 visitors during the two hours it's open every month, roughly split between middle-school and high-school students who learn about the service from friends or from fliers at school.

Visitors are asked to provide their contact information when they come to the closet so that Youth Link can send them information about other services they offer.

While the program is aimed at teens, adults are coming, too — often from immigrant families, or as victims of the dot-com bust, Alina said. Most visitors live in Bellevue, but some come from Kirkland, Redmond and Seattle.

Alina says the program has proved a success in a way he hadn't expected: Some of the kids who have gotten clothes at Teen Closet return the favor. They're bringing back clothes they once picked out and have now outgrown.

"That's cool; they're recycling," Ayele said.

Angela Lo can be reached at 206-464-3206.