Operation Deploy Your Dress
Deploying America’s Patriotism One Dress At A Time
Operation Deploy Your Dress
Deploying America’s Patriotism One Dress At A Time
About Us
ODYD Featured on CBS Evening News
Operation Deploy Your Dress (ODYD) welcomed CBS Evening News, Janet Shamlian, to join us at Fort Hood-Operation Deploy Your Dress to learn all about what makes the mission to Deploy America's Patriotism One Dress at a Time so special!
Our Mission
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.
Our Story
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 multiple shops across the United States and Germany, conservatively saving Military Families $2 million dollars.
ODYD Highlights
We are proud ot announce that we have achieved a 2022 Top-Rated Non Profit designation from our friends at Greater NonProfits! Thank you for the recognition and to everyone who played a part in making this designation possible!