City of Martinsville, Illinois

Opened in October 2009, Changing Hands accepts donations from the community, sells the items and uses all the proceeds from the store to fund community projects. The store is located on Cumberland Street downtown Martinsville and is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm, and Wednesday, 2 to 6 pm. All items sold are donated to the store, and the store is entirely run by volunteers. All proceeds go back to the community. The store was started in 2009 by six Martinsville on the Move volunteers and has come a long way since then. In 2011 alone, over 50 Martinsville volunteers donated their time to work at the resale shop, totaling 2,424 hours of volunteer work! In July 2011, the store moved to its current location and now has a front entrance for customers and a back entrance for donations. The store is always in need of good donations, such as clothing, kitchen ware, house ware, small appliances, bedding, glassware, children items, etc. Due to space constraints, the store cannot accept used computers or TVs, or any large items such as beds or furniture. The store is also always in need of good volunteers. Martinsville on the Move appreciates all the support given to Changing Hands through our volunteers, donors and patrons. Everyone working together makes our community stronger. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Mary Tarr, Volunteer Coordinator, at 217-677-2206.

Projects funded through the community-run resale shop in 2010 and 2011 include: planting/decorating flower pots in the downtown area every season, organizing the National Road Festival in the Spring and the Hometown Christmas Festival in December, building a horseshoe pit, contributing funds for the First Bank electronic community sign to improve communication, revamping the city's website, running a community pride campaign, awarding yearly revitalization grants to downtown businesses to improve the look of their facades, coordinating and promoting farmer's markets, partnering with the Chamber of Commerce to design and print a business directory including all businesses in Martinsville, awarding yearly scholarships to a graduating senior from Martinsville High School to encourage students to continue their education beyond high school level, and making donations to local non-profit groups. In the Spring of 2012, Martinsville on the Move used proceeds from the store to partner with the City Council to fund the City's MAPPING process (this program is offered by the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs and helps cities develop a strategic vision for community and economic development). In 2011, Martinsville on the Move also used proceeds from the resale shop to apply for 501 (c)3 non-profit organization status, and was awarded this status, which enables the organization to receive tax-deductible contributions.