Lapels Dry Cleaning Sponsors Clothing Drive for Big Brothers Big Sisters October 21 to 29.

DATELINE: HANOVER, MA…The challenge is on! Lapels Dry Cleaning is taking its dedication to helping kids to a new height by setting a goal of doubling donations during Lapels’ semi-annual Clothing Drive to be held from Saturday October 21 through Sunday October 29 to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation.

Simply place your gently worn clothing items of all types and sizes in the receptacles designated for Big Brothers Big Sisters donations in your local Lapels store during regular business hours and help Lapels go over the top! Lapels spring clothing drive generated over two and half tons of clothing—the goal is now a whopping five tons.

Fall is a great time to clean out closets and gather ANY unwanted clothing items. The more clothing collected, the more kids that can be helped through the Big Brothers Big Sister Foundation. Big Brothers Big Sisters will pick up the gently used clothing collected by Lapels and distribute it to consignment shops, using the proceeds from the sales of these items to support their mission to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships.

Lapels CEO Lawrence Friedman is excited by the challenge of doubling the amount of clothing collected. “As Lapels continues to expand, so does our commitment to be a good neighbor and serve the community. Having been a big brother for years, I personally know how much this clothing drive can benefit all of the “littles” served by the Big Brother Big Sister program. I hope that Lapels customers and the general public will pitch in and help a great organization by cleaning out their closets and filling the Big Brothers Big Sisters donation receptacles in our Lapels stores to overflowing.”

Lapels Community Commitment
Being a good neighbor isn’t just a slogan at Lapels, where community involvement is becoming a tradition. The upcoming Clothing Drive is now a semi- annual event benefiting the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation, with more stores than ever participating. In addition to conducting clothing drives, Lapels has also worked in conjunction with the American Red Cross to encourage blood donations through campaigns in their stores, and by sponsoring blood drives as well.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters serves over 200,000 children, ages 6 through 18, in 5,000 communities across all 50 states, establishing successful mentoring relationships for all children who need and want them, contributing to better schools, brighter futures, and stronger communities for all. Big Brothers Big Sisters one-to-one mentoring makes a huge difference for the youth it serves by helping at-risk youth overcome the many challenges they face

Big Brothers Big Sisters was selected by Forbes Magazine as one of its top ten charities, making the publication’s “gold star” list of charities which it believes are worthy of donor consideration, in its annual survey of 200 large charities. The magazine surveyed 200 non-profits and rated them on how efficiently they collect and distribute dollars. Forbes looked at three categories: charitable commitment, fundraising efficiency, and donor dependency.

A Rising Star
In 2005, Lapels was ranked in Entrepreneur’s “Franchise 500” as well as Entrepreneur’s “Top 50 New Franchises,” identifying Lapels as one of today’s top franchise opportunities. Entrepreneur's “Franchise 500” is the best and most comprehensive rating of franchises in the world and is based on objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation.

The Lapels Difference
With Lapels’ unique outsourcing advantage, Lapels storeowners outsource dry cleaning operations, providing the best possible service and quality to customers while caring for the environment. With the establishment of franchisee owned Lapels Earth Friendly dry cleaning plants in Massachusetts, Lapels retail store franchisees will have unprecedented access to wholesale dry cleaning that meets Lapels rigorous standards, providing better quality at a better price.

Lapels franchise owners benefit from exclusive territories, group purchasing power, job security and unlimited earning potential. Lapels offers franchisees full training and support in every aspect of the business and a comprehensive start-up package that includes: a point-of sale computer system; an automatic clothing conveyer; a wedding gown program; retail products to sell; indoor and outdoor signage with all needed permits; a grand opening marketing package; and advertising promotion to 10,000 homes. Lapels also provides franchisees a custom web site with email, on-going training and support, custom counters, start up supplies, and much more.

Store Locations
Lapels has stores in Massachusetts (Abington, Boston-Back Bay, Boston-Charles River Park, Concord, Dedham, Easton, Framingham, Halifax, Hanover, Lynnfield, Newton, Norton, Quincy, Randolph, Salem, Taunton, Westford, and Westwood); Louisiana (Baton Rouge); Rhode Island (Greenville and Lincoln); Texas (Garland); and Washington (Kirkland). Lapels is also coming soon to Pomona, CA; Sudbury, MA; and Arlington, TX.

Lapels – Earth Friendly Cleaners
A full slate of services are offered at each Lapels store, including: same-day dry cleaning; shirt service; tailoring; shoe repair; wedding gown heirlooming; suede and leather processing; box storage and fur storage.

Lapels corporate offices are located at 962 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Lapels, call toll free (866) 695-2735 or email admin@lapelsdrycleaning.com. Additional information and up-to-date company news can also be found on the company’s Web site, www.lapelsdrycleaning.com.