Do you have mountains of old clothes just sitting in your closet? Are you looking for ways to get rid of them? Well, look no further! Reduce Reuse Upcycle is a club at RCDS that emphasizes the importance of reusing and upcycling clothes, while teaching students how to repurpose their own. In the past few years, the club has held various resource drives targeted to help aid recent tragedies, and it has also taken traditional RCDS initiatives under their wing. Last year, RRU held a Fall Clothing Drive, a Bronx Fire Resources Drive, and took on the annual Winter Coat Drive in both the Upper School and Middle School. As the seasons change, numerous opportunities for RCDS to help its internal and external community arise.

This fall, from October 3rd to October 14th, RRU held a clothing drive collecting dresses from students in the Upper School. The donation setup was quite eye-catching, next to the donation box, in the main hallway, stood a mannequin dressed in a purple sequined Bat-Mitzvah Dress. Donations ranged from prom dresses to Bat Mitzvah dresses and other formal attire. The goal of this clothing drive was to provide formal attire for upcoming social events like Bar/Bat Mitzvah season, homecoming, and the holidays to those who may not have them. RRU distributed the dresses within the RCDS community before bringing the excess to a local donation center where they will be repurposed and reused. RRU is excited for what’s to come, with plenty more clothing drives and upcycling sessions in the future and the school’s theme of service in constant thought.  As RCDS reiterates, it’s not for self, but for service.