Thrifty U of A volleyball coach creates fundraiser selling second-hand stuff
CBC News | Posted: March 28, 2018 10:56 PM | Last Updated: March 28, 2018
Terry Danyluk's Thriftology 101 raises $10K annually for Golden Bears volleyball program
You wouldn't expect a head coach of a men's volleyball team would be a part-time fashionista.
But Golden Bears volleyball coach Terry Danyluk is the organizer of Thriftology 101 — a thrift swap that helps fund the volleyball program at the University of Alberta.
"I love lady's shoes, as it turned out, so it has worked out great," Danyluk told CBC's Radio Active.
The thrift swap started as a spin-off of an older fundraiser for the volleyball team where Danyluk would scour thrift stores across the city for original works of art to be sold at the event.
"When I was searching for vintage art to recycle for that, I started noticing some great clothing options at Goodwill so I started to pick up bits and pieces," he said.
Most of the items at the swap are women's clothing and shoes, because men hold onto things for longer, Danyluk said.
Danyluk ran the first thrift swap five years ago at the Saville Community Sports Centre on south campus. After not seeing a lot of foot traffic, he moved it the next year to the Social Street atrium at the main campus.
Since then, the event has raised $10,000 annually for the program, in addition to the $30,000 raised by the art event.
"Part of my job and my mandate with Golden Bears volleyball is to raise the $100,000-plus that I need to run my program," Danyluk said. "It's a cycle of events that end up being kind of unique."
This year's swap ended Wednesday but will be back next year.
The annual fundraiser gives Danyluk an excuse to go to thrift stores and look for hidden treasures.
"I'm not really sure why it happened, it just did," he said. "I guess I have an eye for expensive things."