MTSU students will benefit from a student’s thoughtful charitable effort as she collects clothing at her workplace through Friday, Sept. 7.

Alexandra Stephens

Alexandra Stephens, who is serving an internship at the Nashville-based firm of Thomas & Company, is gathering gently used items from her colleagues for Raiders’ Closet, the nonprofit endeavor that provides job interview and workplace-appropriate clothing and accessories to MTSU students.

Thomas & Company provides unemployment cost management, employment and wage verification and tax credit and incentive services to businesses nationwide.

“I was given the opportunity as an intern at Thomas & Company to run a community service campaign,” Stephens said. “Upon receiving this amazing opportunity, I thought of not only myself as a struggling student, but of my peers. I found that this was the perfect opportunity to give back to MTSU as a whole.”

Dr. Virginia Hemby, the Business Education Program professor in the Jones College of Business who founded Raiders’ Closet, told Stephens the closet currently needs the following items:

• Men’s suits in smaller sizes, such as 36 or 38.
• Women’s suits, pants or skirt suits in smaller sizes, such as 0, 2 or 4.
• Women’s suits in larger sizes such as 20, 22, 24 or 26.
• Women’s dress blouses with collars and buttons in white, light blue, eggshell or ivory in all sizes.
• Men’s dress shoes in all sizes.

Dr. Virginia Hemby, a professor in MTSU’s Department of Marketing and the founder of Raiders’ Closet, displays some of the professional clothing available to students at the closet, which is located in Room 327 of the Keathley University Center. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

Donations of all kinds are welcome from all contributors, but Stephens said she also intends to collect ties, briefcases and portfolios.

Stephens, a senior marketing major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, also is handling the donor gift-in-kind forms that the MTSU Foundation requires to estimate each donation’s value.

Raiders’ Closet, which is based in the Department of Marketing, maintains an MTSU Foundation account for monetary donations from people who choose to contribute cash or checks instead of clothing.

“Having funds on hand is helpful when a student comes to Raiders’ Closet and we have nothing to fit him or her,” Hemby said. “With the funds in the foundation account, I am able to visit consignment stores … and locate a suit that will fit the student.”

Raiders’ Closet is located in Room 327 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, visit www.mtsu.edu/marketing/raiders_closet.php or contact Hemby at 615-898-2369 or virginia.hemby-grubb@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

Some of the inventory of shoes and ties available for free to students is shown at the Raiders’ Closet inside Keathley University Center. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)