Marissa's Closet a godsend at prom time
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Volunteer MacKenzie Henry, 17, returns formal dresses to a rack at Marissa's Closet in Ripon.CALIXTRO
ROMIAS/The Record
By Katie Combs
Record Staff Writer
May 27, 2012 12:00 AM
RIPON - Monica Ortega hovered behind her daughter in front of a full-length mirror, fiddling with
the straps on a knee-length black and white dress.
"I like that one, too," she said, and her daughter, Anna, nodded shyly.
Marissa's Closet
410 West Main St., Ripon
For store hours and to view donation drop-off locations or find other ways to help, visit
marissascloset.org or call (209) 613-0836 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (209) 613-0836
end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
President: Melinda Shaw
History: Shaw was inspired to start the nonprofit organization in 2010 following the death of her
daughter on Dec. 1, 2009. Marissa's Closet is a 501(c)(3) organization that has shipped dresses
across the country and developed partnerships overseas.
Volunteers: roughly 15 at a time, depending on the season
Days earlier, Anna, 15, started wearing makeup and decided that she wanted to wear a dress
for the first time to her eighth-grade graduation.
Ortega, a single mother in Manteca, knew right where to go: Marissa's Closet, a nonprofit
organization based in Ripon that collects formal dresses and distributes them free to people in
need.
"This is an awesome opportunity," Ortega said. "I needed this help. I'm blessed today."
Marissa's Closet takes its name from Marissa McLeod, a popular teen who took her life in 2009
at the age of 17. The loss of her only daughter devastated Melinda Shaw. But in the midst of her
grief, the distraught mother decided to continue a project Marissa had begun in her junior year,
when the teen collected and distributed more than 200 prom dresses.
In its first year, Marissa's Closet collected 1,500 dresses and renovated a vacant building.
Today, the 5,000-square-foot store has pictures of Marissa along the walls - a cheerleading
outfit in one, a bright smile in another. There are shoes, handbags and more than 1,200 dresses
in a rainbow of colors. There are no price tags.
The mission of Marissa's Closet has expanded along with its size. About six months after
starting the nonprofit firm, a girl came to meet Shaw and look at pictures of Marissa. The visitor
began to share her own thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
"She felt a bond," Shaw said. "That's kind of when I said 'Okay, I'm missing something. There's
another piece I need to do.' "
The organization raised about $16,000 to purchase a permanent location in Ripon. Shaw hopes
to relocate soon and open the Marissa Alexandria Center in August, offering free counseling
services.
"With (bullying), suicides, depression, cutting ... all those things hitting the Valley as hard as
they have, we don't really have a place where kids can just go and talk to someone," Shaw said.
"I don't want a parent to ever feel the pain or hurt that I feel."
Shaw wasn't able to attend her own senior ball; she was in labor at the time. For 17 years, she
said, she dreamed of watching Marissa step into a gown.
"She didn't make it to her senior ball," Shaw said, her voice catching. "So every time we help a
girl go to senior ball or prom, it's like a piece of us goes with them."
Contact Web Content Producer Katie Combs at (209) 546-8255
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (209) 546-8255 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or
kcombs@recordnet.com. Visit her blog at recordnet.com/multimediablog.
Challenges
Fundraising: It can be difficult to find financial support outside of Ripon, though the charity
serves communities across San Joaquin County and beyond.
Attitudes: "(People) don't like to talk about suicide. They don't like to talk about cutting," Shaw
said. "They think the Bay Area and everywhere else (have) the issues, and not the Valley. The
Valley has just as many. It's just swept under the carpet a little better."
By the numbers
8,000: dresses given away in two years
1,200 to 1,500: dresses available at any time at the Ripon store, free with a current school ID
$50: cost of a wedding dress at an upcoming June 9 fundraising event