What’s better than going thrifting? Going thrifting for charity.

WJ’s Leadership students wrapped up another successful event for Pennies 4 Patients on Thursday with WJ Thrift. WJ Thrift was a thrift-shop style event where students could get new and lightly-used clothes at steep discounts.

However, WJ Thrift had some key differences from a normal thrift shop. First of all, the huge piles of clothes, spread out over tables and benches in the Student Commons, had all been donated by members of the WJ community. And more importantly, unlike traditional thrifting, all proceeds from WJ Thrift will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), a non-profit organization that fights blood related cancers.

“I’m very excited,” senior and Leadership member Jackson Miller said just before the event. “It’s going to be a really good event… and it’s going to bring in a lot of [donations] for Pennies 4 Patients.”

Miller also said Leadership was expecting a “large turnout” for the event due to its many opening hours during lunch and after school.

Throughout the opening hours of the “shop,” which was set up in the Student Commons, WJ students and families streamed through looking for cheap finds. Whether they were looking for fun, for something to feel good about, or even if they just needed some new threads, visitors found what they were looking for.

Seniors Katherine Regnell and Emily Murphy, who came down to the Student Commons on opening day, said they came because they were curious about the event and wanted to participate.

“It’s really exciting! It’s cheap clothes and it’s for a good cause,” Regnell said.

Miller said he isn’t surprised that students like Murphy and Regnell like WJ Thrift.

“In the teenage demographic, shopping is a popular activity to do with friends,” Miller said. “But most shirts or pants that you buy at the mall are 20, 30, or 40 dollars. Here, nothing is more expensive than eight dollars.”

Ultimately though, it wasn’t the clothes or the thrill of thrifting that made this event worthwhile. The real purpose, according to Leadership student Taylor Connors, will always be the charity.

“We want to… bring more awareness to the cause of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Hopefully WJ Thrift can help do that,” Connors said.

With the end of WJ Thrift, WJ is well on its way to the goal of raising $50,000 for the LLS this month. If that goal is met, WJ will have raised over $400,000 for the non-profit over the last 10 years.