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Community Corner

Swap Gently Used; Extras Go to Charity

MB mom Laurie Phan organizes "peace. love. swap." meets at AdventurePlex. Swap gently used items. Leftovers are donated to charity.

When Manhattan Beach mom Laurie Phan learned about peace. love. swap., she just had to get one started in her community.

For this stay-at-home mom already passionate about reusing and trading clothes and toys with friends, the idea of expanding the swapping to keep items out of landfills and donate to charity was appealing.

“For me, personally, it is so rewarding to run a green and charitable event while saving money on my family’s expenses at the same time,” Phan told Manhattan Beach Patch.

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Phan discovered peace. love. swap. on Craiglist where she saw a posting soliciting an organizer to set up a swap in the Los Angeles area.

The concept spoke to Phan and she held her first swap in Febraury 2011 at AdventurePlex in Manhattan Beach, where tomorrow's event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. items are dropped off between 10:30 a.m. and noon with the swap taking place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

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Local moms volunteer and help Phan with the swaps. Michelle Llorin of Manhattan Beach, one of Phan’s volunteers, loves that nothing goes to waste and that it’s a great way to meet other local moms. Llorin usually brings toys, books, shoes and lots of clothes.

“I have three children, and they outgrow things faster than I can keep up,” said Llorin. “I just can’t buy everything new anymore. I trade my gently outgrown and loved items for other things that my kids can use today.”

Volunteer Julie Young of Redondo Beach said that more than 50 families from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Playa del Rey, Torrance and the Palos Verdes Peninsula have regularly attended the past swaps.

“The swap is a large, ongoing, affordable and family friendly event that encourages families to be green, save money and socialize,” said Phan.

Peace. love. swap. meets want to share and swap baby, kid, teen and maternity items with the local community. Leftovers are donated to local charities.

Participants need to bring stuff to swap and $5. Admission to the swap includes a discounted entrance to the AdeventurePlex play structure for kids and a raffle ticket to win prizes.

The swaps are held every seven to eight weeks.

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