We accept gently used and new formal gowns and accessories.
Overview
Operation Deploy Your Dress’s primary goal is to improve the quality of life of military families by offsetting the high cost of attending formal military functions, especially for junior servicemembers. ODYD currently “deploys” dresses from thirteen brick and mortar shops at installations around the world. These shops are solely run by military spouse volunteers.
The heart and soul of this organization is the following three pillars:
1. Deploying America’s patriotism one dress at a time
2. Fostering community through volunteerism, while building concrete work experience for military spouses.
3. Upholding military tradition and cultivating camaraderie
ODYD assists in bridging the ever-growing gap between the military and civilian communities by offering a tangible way for the American public to show their appreciation for the service and sacrifice of our military servicemembers and their families.
ODYD began at Fort Bliss, TX in late 2015, when founders Renee Chapman, Ronya Rendon, Yvonne Coombes, Liz McKenrick and Melissa Riely decided to organize a dress swap among their units’ spouses, as a way to defray the costs associated with purchasing formalwear for military balls. They were fortunate to receive national media attention and the response from the American public was incredible.
Over the last 7 years, ODYD has deployed over 20,000 gowns from 13 locations around the country.