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Rolling Meadows resale shop helps local, worldwide missions

A photo displayed near the cash register at a resale shop in Rolling Meadows speaks volumes about proceeds generated from the store.

The framed image features a group of children posed around a vibrant playground and its sign, which reads: “Annie's Playground.”

The photo is a favorite of Annie Farrell's, executive director of Annie's Resale For The World, whose proceeds are shared with missionary organizations, including one in Chicago and six in developing countries around the world.

Proceeds from Farrell's resale shop helped fund Annie's Playground at a boarding school in Uganda. Courtesy of Annie's Resale For the World

She describes her passion for helping these organizations while standing in the middle of her shop, which looks more like a boutique. Patrons browse women's clothing, accessories, shoes and jewelry before checking out men's clothes, children's selections and housewares.

The store takes in bags of clothes regularly. Volunteers sort through donations and steam each piece that goes on the floor. What they don't save, they give to other organizations, including the PADS program at Faith Community Church in Itasca, Farrell's church.

They do get high-end items, which volunteers do not put on the floor. Instead, those are sold online, through a third-party auction house. Proceeds, like the rest of their sales, benefit the store's “partners.”

Take the new playground. It's located at a boarding school in Kampala, Uganda, where Annie's Resale works to support the work of a nongovernmental organization that runs the school and works with the extreme poor in this capital city.

“Look how vibrant it is now,” says Farrel, after showing before and after photos of the playground.

Farrell and her husband, Don, live in Streamwood, and they formerly worked in donor relations and fundraising for international Christian relief organizations serving the poorest of the poor.

Annie Farrell, left, with board member Joy Kadlecik, Kenya partner Dotun Modupe and co-founder Donald Farrell. "We chose these (partner) organizations because we have personally witnessed their work with the extreme poor, and we trust them," Annie Farrell said. Courtesy of Annie's Resale For the World

Their work led them to travel to Haiti, Cambodia, Russia, Kenya, Uganda and India, where they saw the work of these organizations firsthand.

Farrell says they opened the shop in 2012, merging her passions for resale with nonprofit work. Consequently, her mission is to partner with these organizations and fund specific projects that make a difference in these communities.

“We chose these organizations because we have personally witnessed their work with the extreme poor,” Farrell says, “and we trust them.”

Everyone but Farrell and one part-time staffer are all volunteers. Liz Suarez of Mount Prospect sorted through a recent stack of donations wearing white gloves.

“It's just so great to know that because of people's generosity, the lives of people around the world are changed,” Suarez says.

Another steady volunteer is Helena Fabrycy of Palatine. As the daughter of immigrants and with an adopted daughter from India, she says she was drawn to the mission of Annie's Resale.

“I'm retired, so this gives me a purpose in life,” Fabrycy said. “Plus, everyone's got such a giving attitude here.”

A list of last year's projects hangs on the wall near the entry to the shop, celebrating all of their success stories. They range from funding emergency food and medical supplies for families in Syria, to a new sewing center for women in Northern India, to funding an intern at Chicago New Moms, which works with at-risk mothers in Humboldt Park.

A villager from Turkana County in Northwest Kenya enjoys fresh produce from the farm. Annie's Resale provided startup money for farm equipment, seeds and a shed at the farm. Courtesy of Annie's Resale for the World

One of their most recent projects merited its own photo display in another corner of the showroom. The store supports the work of Bright Hope, based in Hoffman Estates, and specifically its work in Northwest Kenya, where a new farm now feeds more than 400 people.

Annie's Resale provided startup money for farm equipment, seeds and a shed at the farm. The organization's county director, Dotun Modupe, visits the store regularly.

Farrell says they make donations to their partners throughout the year, and that over the course of the year they average $5,000 to $8,000 per organization, depending on sales.

Increasingly, Annie's Resale is beginning to generate more interest in the community. Just last week, Farrell recorded a podcast for the Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce, describing how her storefront now impacts communities around the world.

Learn more about the shop and its partners at www.anniesresalefortheworld.org.

Annie's Resale for the World

What: A resale shop and a 501(c)(3) organization, with proceeds supporting partner organizations that educate children; provide food, shelter and emergency relief to families; and strengthen local churches and community programs.

Where: 2120 Plum Grove Road in Rolling Meadows

When: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Details: www.anniesresalefortheworld.org

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