Blog | News, Events, and Information about the LaundryCares Foundation

LaundryCares Foundation to Implement Free Laundry Day Events This Fall

by lcfadmin | Oct 6, 2017 | Charity, Free Laundry Day, Laundry, Literacy, Partnership

The LaundryCares Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity of the Coin Laundry Association, plans to execute three Free Laundry Day events in October and November of 2017. Free Laundry Days are LaundryCares’ flagship community affairs which provide members of the local community with the complimentary laundry services while also entertaining and teaching children of laundromat patrons with literacy programs while the wash is going.

Upcoming Events

Taylor, TX

The first of these events takes place October 18, 2017 from 5 – 8 pm at:

Skyline Laundry
3100 N Main Street, Suite 105
Taylor, TX 78574

As with all LaundryCares’ events, all are welcome to attend. There will be food, family activities, and prizes for attendees.

To learn more about this event, click the button below:
Learn More About the Taylor, TX Event

Houston, TX

The next event, dubbed the “Goodbye Harvey” Free Laundry Day, will be October 21, 2017 from 11 am – 4 pm at:

Express Laundry Center
3345 FM 1960
Houston, TX 77014

The LaundryCares Foundation is aware of the fact that many people are still in need of the amenities offered by laundromats largely because of the devastation of the recent hurricane. The self-service laundry business is an important resource within communities all over the country, and an event like this intends to serve those who may not have the means currently to take advantage of this resource. Additionally, complimentary food, beverages, and activites will also be provided.

To learn more about this event, click the button below:
Learn More About the Houston, TX Event

Detroit, MI

On November 1, 2017 from 3 – 7 pm, another event will be hosted by:

Coinless Laundromat
1281 Oakman Blvd
Detroit, MI 48238

This event features a combined effort from a variety of local and national organizations to provide literacy programs and features to the families in attendance. Some of those event partners include:

Libraries Without Borders
Too Small to Fail
Knight Foundation
Detroit Public Library
United Way
Brilliant Detroit

To learn more about this event, click the button below:
Learn More About the Detroit, MI Event

The LaundryCares Foundation is excited to add these events to the list of hundreds of successful outreach attempts accomplished over the last decade. We simply ask that all patrons register before or during the event before receiving their complimentary laundry services.

How You Can Help

Volunteer help and donations are critical in the success of the LaundryCares’ mission. If you are able to help as a volunteer, please click the link below.

Click to Volunteer

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to our 501(c)3 charitable organization which helps to serve thousands each year.

Click to Donate

LaundryCares Foundation Increases Support for The Laundry Project

by lcfadmin | Sep 28, 2017 | Charity, Disaster relief, Laundry, Partnership

In light of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, laundry charities collaborate to offer assistance to affected communities.

The LaundryCares Foundation has partnered with The Laundry Project to help bring aid in the form of free laundry services to areas in Florida affected by Hurricane Irma. The Laundry Project, a charity operated by the organization Current Initiatives, has scheduled a very robust series of events throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Irma which has left many people without the means by which to clean their clothes. The LaundryCares Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity of the Coin Laundry Association, normally provides financial support through fundraising to The Laundry Project to help facilitate events. During this time of increased activity, the LaundryCares Foundation has quintupled its normal contribution to assist in the mission of fulfilling the basic need of clean clothes for the people in these communities ravaged by the storm.

The Laundry Project has planned to provide at least seven charity events throughout Florida, and has already run several of these including an event in Tampa Bay, FL. At each event, The Laundry Project has helped families to wash clothes and linens at no charge having all services paid to laundry owners through donations by volunteers. While each event is executed, volunteers not only assist patrons, but they also entertain the children within families. Funding these events is important to the success of the project so that essential items such as soap, bleach, and other cleaning agents can be provided. Additionally, other services including child care and activities, food and water, security, and promotion of each event require funds which are contributed by volunteers.

Anyone interested in giving back to their community is asked to consider participating in the form of a tax deductible, charitable donation to LaundryCares. For information on how to donate, please click the button below.

Click to Make Your Generous Donation

The LaundryCares Foundation was established as a charitable foundation (501c-3) in 2006 and is administered by the Coin Laundry Association. The mission of the foundation is to provide laundry services and education to those in need in communities throughout the United States.

The Laundry Project is an initiative of Current Initiatives, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in Florida that started with young adults committed to educating others on current social initiatives and mobilizing them to bring about change. The Laundry Project assists low-income families with meeting a basic need – washing clothes and linens, by turning laundromats into community centers of hope. Laundry fees are paid for while volunteers assist with laundry services, entertain children, and create a caring space at the laundromat.

Is Your Laundromat Open in TX or LA?

by lcfadmin | Sep 8, 2017 | Charity, Disaster relief, Laundry

The Coin Laundry Association and its 501(c)3 charity, the LaundryCares Foundation, are trying to help the victims of the recent devastation which has occurred as a result of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. One of the primary directives of the LaundryCares Foundation is to help all people to receive the basic need of having clean clothes through a network of self-service laundries.

The CLA and LaundryCares Foundation are requesting that all laundry facilities report their open location status by completing a simple form. An updated, searchable table of open laundry locations will be made available on the LaundryCares website, and this page will be shared on social media to the local population.

As you are aware, Hurricane Harvey has caused a tremendous amount of damage and has displaced a great many people from their homes. Even those who have not had to evacuate or who have been able to return home may have discovered that they have washers and dryers which are inoperable. All of these people need to have clean and dry clothes, and, subsequently, they are seeking the local laundry facilities near them.

The participation of laundry owners in this effort to help families to find a place at which to wash and dry their clothes can be of great help during the recovery after this disaster. If you own a store and are in operation, please use the button below to visit the form to submit your location. Also, if you are a store owner and you are experiencing trouble with your laundromat, please let us know in the comments area on that page, and we’ll be in touch with you soon.

The thoughts and prayers of the CLA staff and board members go out to all of those affected near and far by the storm. We wish to thank you for your support in our effort to lend assistance to those in need.

Report Your Location Now

[VIDEO] Watch a LaundryCares Foundation Free Laundry Day

by lcfadmin | Aug 10, 2017 | Charity, Free Laundry Day, Laundry, Literacy, Partnership

If you haven’t experienced a LaundryCares Foundation Free Laundry Day event, we strongly encourage you to join us for an upcoming date at a laundromat near you. These powerful events draw dozens of families in need who have expressed their appreciation for some relief from their budgets and a sense of community and fellowship. In the meantime, here below is a video which was filmed at our last event in Las Vegas, NV.

Watch the Video

Simply click below to start the video playback:

About Free Laundry Days

Free Laundry Day events not only serve to provide no-cost help when washing clothes. They also serve to promote learning and literacy among the younger members of the family. Through the “Wash Time Is Talk Time” initiatives being adopted by self-service laundry businesses throughout the nation, books and learning opportunities are being provided by business owners while clothes are being washed and dried.

The “Wash Time Is Talk Time” program has been created by Too Small to Fail (www.toosmall.org) in conjunction with the LaundryCares Foundation. At this particular event, members of Too Small to Fail had games, books, and worksheets on the premises to keep the children on site engaged in their learning with fun activities. Furthermore, over 600 free books were distributed to families. Also, a local “Story Godmother” dropped by Las Vegas Coin Laundry #6 to read to the kids in a reading circle.

Your Help Is Needed

As a 501(c)3 charity, the LaundryCares Foundation relies on its network of volunteers to provide services to underserved communities. Volunteer workers at each event carry away with them a great feeling that they have had a significant impact in the lives of their neighbors. Our volunteer laundry business owners not only work to promote and host Free Laundry Days, but to provide “Wash Time Is Talk Time” materials including books, worksheets, and coloring pages for families on a regular basis.

Generous tax-deductible monetary donations by individuals and businesses wanting to make a difference in communities throughout the country help to fund the mission of the LaundryCares Foundation.

Donate Today

Won’t you consider helping us with a charitable donation. We are a 501(c)3 organization, so your donation is tax deductible. Your generous support is greatly appreciated.

MAKE A DONATION

Volunteer

Want to make a real difference in a community? Consider volunteering with us.

GET INVOLVED

LaundryCares Foundation Hosting Free Laundry Day in Las Vegas to Kickoff Clean ’17

by lcfadmin | May 22, 2017 | Charity, Free Laundry Day, Laundry, Literacy, Partnership, Sponsor

On June 4, 2017 LaundryCares Foundation will host a Free Laundry Day event in Las Vegas, NV from 9 AM until 1 PM. The event will take place at Las Vegas Coin Laundry #6 located at 1200 W Owens Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89106. LaundryCares invites all to join in for a day of free laundry and educational activities that support the foundation’s mission to aid childhood literacy.

Free Laundry Days represent an industry-wide effort to give back to underserved areas that support laundry businesses. On June 4, volunteers from all across the United States, who are attending Clean Show 2017, the largest laundry conference, will participate in Free Laundry Day.

“Laundromats are a community hub and families can benefit from much more than clean clothes,” commented Coin Laundry Association President Brian Wallace. “LaundryCares’ Free Laundry Days aim to leave lasting impressions on all who attend. On top of free laundry, we give away children’s books and educational activities that families can take home to carry forward the experience. It’s truly rewarding.”

This event is part of a concerted charity effort by the LaundyCares Foundation to provide laundry services and education to those in need. The Foundation was created by the Coin Laundry Association and has a long-standing history of supporting the self-service laundry industry. Members of LaundryCares are always eager to give back to the individuals who support their businesses.

Anyone interested in giving back to their community is asked to consider participating in the form of a tax-deductible, charitable donation to LaundryCares. For more information on how to donate please visit www.LaundryCares.org/vegas17.

LaundryCares Foundation Serves More Than 200 Families in NJ

by lcfadmin | Apr 17, 2017 | Charity, Free Laundry Day, Laundry, Literacy, Partnership

Successful Free Laundry Day Creates Smiles and Goodwill

On Thursday, April 13, 2017, the LaundryCares Foundation coordinated a large Free Laundry Day at Dirty Laundry Express in Irvington, NJ. This community event gained increased momentum as the time approached, thanks to the laundry owners and Coin Laundry Association members who rallied to make this among the most successful Free Laundry Days to date.

More than 60 volunteers turned out to Dirty Laundry Express to help with the day’s events, which opened to the general public at 11 a.m. and continued to 4 p.m. Donning the signature orange t-shirts, these volunteers worked various stations to aid the participants and to help the event run smoothly. There was much to do, and the many helping hands available made the work all the more enjoyable for everyone.

“This was one of the best Free Laundry Day events ever! Only through the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the hard work of the team at Dirty Laundry Express, hundreds of people received clean clothes, food and fun, books for their children and the ‘community hug’ that LaundryCares always strives to deliver. Thank you to everyone involved in making this a huge success!,” said Brian Wallace, president and CEO of Coin Laundry Association. “It is important for the self-service laundry industry to give back and support the neighborhoods that do business with us each and every week.”

Event Details

LaundryCares’ Free Laundry Days intend to serve the communities that support self-serve laundries by allowing laundry owners the opportunity to give back. In Irvington at this event, the Foundation was able to serve well over 200 registered families which was more than 500 people in total. Subsequently, there were a total of 843 wash cycles counted which was 31,498 pounds of laundry cleaned and dried. In addition to free access to washers and dryers, visitors experienced an atmosphere of celebration including barbecue, cold drinks, a live DJ, a “bouncy house,” and games. Kids and adults alike were not only able to benefit from complimentary laundry, but an afternoon of food, fun and fellowship with sunny weather.

Children’s Literacy at the Event

One of the highlights of the event (and a hallmark of Free Laundry Day events) came from a partnership with Too Small to Fail. This organization, along with LaundryCares, presented the children attending with the opportunity to read and participate in story time. Members of Too Small to Fail entertained and educated the little ones with storytelling, reading and singing activities. These activities promoted the concept of “Wash Time Is Talk Time,” a literacy and family program intended to foster engagement of children with reading and family discussion at the laundromat.

Most importantly, every child went home with free books to support their literacy development.

Photo Gallery

Here are just a few images that capture the festivities of the day:

Many Thanks

The LaundryCares Foundation wishes to thank all of the volunteers, the participating families, Too Small to Fail, and all of the vendors who helped to make this day wonderful.

LaundryCares would especially like to thank Kevin Adkins and Atira Turner, the owners of Dirty Laundry Express for the use of their facilities and equipment and their generosity. Additionally, many thanks are to be given to Brian Grell and Eastern Funding for their tireless support in coordinating the event as well as to Dennis Diaz of Spynr, Inc. for promoting the organization and this event. Furthermore, the Foundation wishes to express its gratitude to our in-kind sponsors Spector Textiles and Vend-Rite. Finally, LaundryCares would like to recognize our corporate sponsors, Eastern Funding, Whirlpool, and Dexter for their generous monetary donations.