Dove Self-Esteem Weekend/TODAY Show

Hey Everyone! Long time no update! Threads for Teens has been going absolutely amazing. A couple of weeks ago, a three minute segment on Threads for Teens aired. I was really excited to finally see this air, because we started filming it in July in New York. Then, in the middle of August, several producers came to finish filming the segment in California at the boutique. I would like to give a big thank you to Paige, who was kind of enough to tell her story and how Threads for Teens personally affected her. Thanks Paige! Here is clip in case you missed it.

Then last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the kick-off event of the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend, where Jess Weiner, Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador, led a workshop on confidence to preteen and teenaged girls. I was fortunate enough to be able to have a conversation on stage with Jess about self-esteem and the connection to Threads for Teens. I actually first met Jess several years ago at a young women's conference where she led a similar workshop, so it was really incredible to see her once again after several years to update her on how Threads for Teens has grown. Make sure to check out her WEBSITE, as there are many great tools for building self-esteem. Also, I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting Kid Chef Eliana, who curated the menu. The food was amazing and I really wish I had her cooking skills!

Lots of exciting events in the work!
Stay tuned!
XOXO
Allyson Ahlstrom

Boston, MA ---> The end of the tour!

I truly never thought that this day would come, the last day. This is because I started planning the tour an entire year in advance and from July 2012 I was doing something almost every single day in preparation. Once again, I was truly stunned by the amount of people who came together to make this tour possible. Never in my wildest daydreams did the tour go as successfully as it did. Now, for a little information on our last stop, where we learned to be BOSTON STRONG!
Boston, MA

Allyson & Claire's Employees

I was rather excited for our Boston stop for a couple of reasons. First of all, the two stops the day before had gone awesome and I was definitely coming off of an energy high. Secondly, Boston is one of my most favorite cities. It is so full of history, and has so much beautiful architecture. Lastly, this would be our last stop of the tour and I wanted to go out with a bang! There to great us, not as early as our past two days, were four awesome Claire's volunteers, ready to go. They even brought us Boston Creme cupcakes from Crumbs Bakery and Boston Baked Beans! Yummy! The girls who came to the program were all so sweet and excited to receive their new clothing.

The girl who did the Catwalk strut around the boutique!

We set everything up, and waited for the girls to come. There was one girl specifically who had an amazing time, and even did several catwalk struts up and down the mobile boutique to show off her new clothes. When she left, she was beaming with gratitude and excitement from her shopping experience. After, it was a bit surreal to pack up the boutique for the last time. Almost immediately, I was feeling withdrawals. We definitely have enough clothes, so I am hoping to do a stop in Santa Rosa with the mobile boutique, and then possibly even San Francisco. Stay tuned!

XOXO
Allyson Ahlstrom

Portland, ME + Manchester, NH

Portland, ME

A girl shopping in Portland, ME

On Thursday, August 1st, once again we woke up bright and early to hold our second day of doing double appointments. Our first set of appointments occurred in Portland, ME at the Maine Mall! We went over to the truck around 7:45 to start setting up, and were pleasantly surprised by the temperature. It was breezy and cool, a stark contrast to what we had been getting used to over the past two months. Once again, we were greeted by five awesome Claire's employees. They immediately began to take over hanging and arranging accessories. I always love seeing how each group adds their own personal touch to setting up the jewelry! They also brought two super cute gift baskets, each themed with a state: Maine and New Hampshire. Over twenty girls came to shop at the mobile boutique, including one girl who was driven from over 155 miles away! This stop was in fact our easternmost stop of the trip, which was definitely cool. On this day, we held appointments from 8am-10am, so before we knew it, it was time to pack up and make the 2 hour drive to Manchester, NH.

Claire's Volunteers in Portland, ME with Allyson

Cute gifts from Claire's employees, representative of Maine & New Hampshire

Manchester, NH

Happy girls with their new clothes!

Allyson + Claire's Volunteers

In Manchester, I was super excited because my friend, Lauren Sundstrom, who I met this past May at the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards came out to volunteer with her friend, Becca, and mom, Lisa. All three of them were super helpful. Lisa was our resident photographer for the day, which was awesome since we generally don't have that much time to take pictures, and also manned the fitting rooms to make sure girls were getting clipped in and out. Lauren and Becca acted as personal stylists to the girls, along with all of the Claire's employees. Because of this, I (Allyson) was able to climb up into our inventory and bring down a bunch of new stuff for the girls to choose from. At our stop in Manchester, ten lucky ladies came out to shop and had an absolute blast! Everyone was so helpful in getting the boutique set up and taken down. A special shoutout to all of the ladies who came to volunteer from Claire's! The girls especially were so grateful for the experience. In the guestbook for our Manchester stop, here are some direct quotes, "Thank you so much for all you have done. This is great," and "Thank you so much, what you're doing is incredible!"

Becca, Allyson, Lauren in Manchester, NH

Now back to Lauren, because I have to tell all of you readers about the amazing service work that she does! She started an organization called Clothes for Hope, which raises money through the sale of clothing, to support schoolchildren in Ghana. Here is an excellent explanation of her organization, courtesy of Prudential:

"Lauren, a senior at Newburyport High School, conducted a clothing drive and sale that raised $30,000 to provide uniforms, desks, books, computers and other badly-needed resources for two schools in Ghana, West Africa. Lauren spent two weeks volunteering at the two schools in 2011, and “returned to America with an awareness of poverty that few of my peers had,” she said. “I learned that children in Ghana could only go to school if they were able to purchase a uniform, costing merely $9, which proves to be an unrealistic expense for most village families.” Even those who can afford uniforms sit in “classrooms that often lack desks, books or even educators,” said Lauren.

Then one day, as she was organizing her closet and culling clothes she’d outgrown, Lauren suddenly hit upon an idea: she could collect other people’s surplus clothing in her community and resell it to raise money for students in Ghana. She began sharing her idea with school groups, Girl Scout troops, local businesses and organizations, and over the course of five months, more than 200 volunteers, business owners and community leaders helped Lauren collect more than 7,000 pieces of new and gently used clothing, shoes and accessories. She sold most of them at her “Shop for a Cause” sale that rang up over $23,000 in eight hours. The unsold clothing was donated to local families in need, and additional donations and events after the sale brought Lauren’s total to $30,000. Four months later, she returned to Ghana to deliver her proceeds, which provided more than 180 school uniforms; desks for over 100 students; four new computers; hundreds of books, toys and supplies; and the funds to build a middle school, library and teacher’s conference room."

Now, in just four days, Lauren is going back to Ghana with her mom for nine days to distribute all of the donations to young school children in Ghana! She is absolutely incredible and I was so happy for her to come out to the boutique. In fact, Lauren generously donated several pairs of brand-new jeans, left over from our last clothing sale to Threads for Teens. And even after we packed up in Manchester, Lauren and her family invited us to hang out with them in Newburyport (their hometown), for a couple of hours. We had such a great time, and are now all in love with Newburyport, MA. Everyone make sure to check them out on Facebook, so they will be documenting their entire trip to Africa! We would like to extend a huge thank you to the entire Sundstrom family for being so extremely hospitable to us. THANK YOU!

Up Next: Boston, MA!

XOXO
Allyson Ahlstrom

Bridgeport, CT + Woonsocket, RI

Last Wednesday, July 31st, we had quite the busy day planned for us! Two stops in one day. This would be a first for our team, so we woke up early Wednesday morning, unsure of what to expect. Read more to hear about our appointment packed day of shopping in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Bridgeport, CT

Making funny faces with the Claire's employees and Auntie Kitty

We had an early start time for shopping in Connecticut, 8am! Normally we don't start until 10am, so this was quite the change. We were unsure of how many girls might come just because it was such an early start time, however we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of girls who were there right at start time. Also there to greet us were six lovely employees from Claire's who were happy and eager to help set-up and outfit the girls. The also brought us the most adorable basket with items that they thought would be useful for touring, including hand sanitizer, Advil, snacks, and a magazine. We were super grateful for everything, and used almost all of it! For two hours, tons of girls tried on clothes to take their perfect three items and one accessory. As Auntie Kitty noted, it is so interesting to see the individual style that is reflected in each girls choices of clothing and accessory. Personalities are truly able to shine through with the self-expression that the clothes afford the girls. We were a bit sad to leave Bridgeport, as we had such an awesome time, but were excited to move onto our next stop in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

So many girls walked over at once!

Originally, we had thought that we would go to Providence to hold our event in Rhode Island. However, we were put in touch with a fantastic agency in Woonsocket that said they had a lot of girls, but couldn't make the trek to Providence. Hearing this, we made the decision to go to them and what a great decision it was! So many girls were able to come out and shop. We always love when their is an extremely high energy because it really makes for a good shopping experience. It was also nice because before all of the girls came on the truck, I was able to give them a brief history of Threads for Teens, and hopefully inspire them to start their own projects. These shopping experiences went in a what seemed to be a fast time frame, but really because it was so much fun we didn't realize three hours had passed! When it was over we packed up and headed to Maine! One of the furthest points away we would be going...

Keep checking back for more updates!
XOXO
Allyson Ahlstrom

THE BIG APPLE AKA NEW YORK CITY!!!

We had a fabulous four days in New York!!!

Brooklyn, NY

Allyson, Kitty, Amy, Anika

Now, anyone who has been to Manhattan knows how INSANELY crowded the city can be! Going into the tour, I was unsure of where we would hold our shopping appointments. Thankfully, my aunt lives in Brooklyn, so I enlisted her help. After some thought, she had the idea to park the Threads for Teens mobile boutique in front of the tattoo shop she manages, East River Tattoo, in Greenpoint. This was most definitely easier said than done, because of all of the permitting that we had to go through to secure street parking! However, my Auntie Kitty is an absolute saint and was able to get all the applications together from both the NYCDOT and Mayor's Office. Thank you to Auntie Kitty! But besides arranging our location, Auntie Kitty also organized a fundraiser at the tattoo shop. Several of the artists--Rob Banks, Rachel Haur, Raf Delalande, Guy LeTattooer-- donated their time and skill to participate in a flash sale to raise money for Threads for Teens. This went awesome, and the artists raised over $1,000 to donate to Threads for Teens! Thank you so much to East River Tattoo, especially Kitty Joe Sainte-Marie, who arranged everything, and Duke Riley, who owns the shop.

Onto the girls! The girls who came to our shopping event in Brooklyn were absolutely incredible. Many were referred through a program called the Lower Eastside Girls Club. All of the girls who came were super sweet and grateful for the opportunity. Unfortunately, many had felt and are still feeling the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Our visit made all the difference for the girls who had lost many belongings and were not in a position to be able to get new clothing anytime soon. One mother said that Threads for Teens was an answer to her prayers. The girls from the Girls Club were also tremendous in the fact that almost all of them were willing to be interviewed by the Today Show, who came to film for a segment that will air sometime in the future. I promise to keep all of you posted about this super exciting development! Also, another group from Good Shepherd Services also visited the boutique. Those girls were all extreme fashionistas and were impressed with the great selection of items on the truck.

Taylor, Allyson, Maryann

Once again, Claire's sent out employees to volunteer. It is always nice having extra hands around to help organize and set-up the boutique, and most importantly to be personal stylists to all of the girls when we have large groups. Now at this stop, Maryann Porter, Vice President Northeast U.S. & Canada East at Claire's Accessories, who arranged for us to have Claire's volunteers at each stop of the third leg of our tour, came out to visit. I was extremely excited to meet her, as Maryann has been instrumental in obtaining locations, hotels, and volunteers on this third leg. A big shoutout and thank you to Maryann!!!

After all of the appointments were over, we were able to have some downtime in the city on Saturday and Sunday, before resuming work appointments on Monday and Tuesday. Taylor had to leave the tour on Sunday, which was a bummer as she is always a great help and go-getter. The Threads for Teens Windsor location is extremely lucky to have her, and she will undoubtably bring a fresh new insight to the boutique.

While in New York, we were able to see Matilda on Broadway, which I highly recommend. We actually didn't have tickets, so we waited for the lottery. I didn't have high hopes, as they only give away twenty tickets and most people put down that they want a pair. At the lottery for the matinee show on Sunday, there were probably 200 people! To my astonishment, they drew my name second! I won two tickets for great seats that were only $27 each! Then, so my mom could see it she bought herself a full priced ticket. My mom, sister, and I absolutely loved the show, especially given that we are all huge Roald Dahl fans and fans of the movie.

On Tuesday, we met with donors from ANN Inc. which was awesome! I personally know several of the women who work there, so it was great to see all of them and meet new people! The offices are so fun and everyone who works there is so stylish and fabulous.

Now, I am almost caught up to our most recent adventures in Bridgeport and Woonsocket! Keep checking back!

Newark, NJ

Sorry for the delay in posts, but we have had a couple of crazy exciting days on the tour!

Newark, NJ

To start off, last Friday, the 26th, we kicked off our day in Elizabeth, NJ at the The Jersey Garden Mall. The mall management was kind enough to let us park the mobile boutique in their MASSIVE parking lot. We stayed the night before at the Courtyard by Marriott, just down the street. Thank you so much to Claire's employees and the hotel for donating our stay! The hotel was wonderful and in a great location. Immediately, when all of us arrived at the mobile boutique in the morning, we were greeted by seven eager volunteers from local Claire's stores. They always arrange all the accessories so perfectly!

After we got the boutique all set-up, we were ready to go with the shopping appointments. There were several girls waiting so they were super excited to come in and choose their three items. After that, we had a bit of a break until the end when a couple vans full of girls came. We always love when we have big crowds of girls coming to the boutique because it definitely adds to the energy of the shopping appointments. We would like to extend a special thank you to all of the Claire's employees who came to help work the boutique and inspire girls at our stop in New Jersey. Also, I (Allyson) would personally like to thank Natalie Ramirez for being such an amazing volunteer. She was with us for most of the first leg, and then for the first week and a half of the third. Natalie is always so eager to work with girls, making sure that they receive the individual attention that they deserve during each and every shopping appointment! She has most definitely been missed, also because she was our resident blogger!

XOXO

Stay tuned as I get this blog updated!

Next up, New York!!!!

Allyson Ahlstrom

Dover, DE and Philadelphia, PA

Dover, Delaware
Wednesday, July 24th

Delaware! Had a relaxing stay at Main Stay Suites, Dover thanks to Main Stay Suites and Claire's Accessories. When we arrived at the truck the next morning we were greeted by cheerful volunteers from Claire's and Icing. The volunteers happily helped us prepare the boutique for shoppers and eagerly jumped in and ran appointments. The Claire's and Icing volunteers loved interacting with the girls and providing fashion advice. Our shoppers once again received 1 on 1 VIP attention during their appointments. Towards the end of the day, NPR visited the boutique and interviewed Allyson. All in all a pleasant stop in Dover.

Link to NPR Interview

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
Thursday, July 25th

What an exciting stop in Philadelphia! The truck and trailer was parked in the Xfinity Live parking lot, in the center of all of the major league Phillies sports' complexes. Truly an awesome location! Much thanks to Xfinity Live for an amazing location. Once again, Claire's and Icing sent out volunteers that were more than excited to be helping. The Claire's and Icing volunteers once again ran appointments and provided knowledgeable fashion insight. We had numerous girls visit the boutique from organizations like, Youth Service Inc. The girls and staff members were very impressed by the variety and quality of clothing and the helpful volunteers. Among the most popular items today, our newly unpacked Steve Madden sandals and Claire's and Icing accessories. Following the shopping appointments, Xfinity Live provided our shoppers and volunteers with packaged lunches! Towards the end of our day, we had Urban Outfitters executives visit the mobile boutique. Urban Outfitters' headquarters is in Philadelphia, so we were more than excited that they took the time out of their busy schedules to visit the boutique! The Urban Outfitters executives were thrilled with the mobile boutique, looked forward to continuing their relationship with Threads for Teens and offered more product donations. Truly wonderful! A great stop in Philly!


XOXO

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore, Maryland

Tuesday, July 23rd 

Wow! We had the most amazing, relaxing night at the beautiful Hotel Monaco, Baltimore. This morning we were greeted by another group of volunteers from Icing and Claire's. They were eager to help, which was greatly appreciated. Once again we had numerous girls visiting the boutique, most of which arrived prompt and ready to shop. The girls were referred from The Children's Home and Social Services. We had so many shoppers and volunteers that our shoppers had to wait their turn outside of the boutique, but the girls were so sweet and patient that they didn't even mind! They waited patiently, chatted with Natalie, and enjoyed provided snacks. Once inside, shoppers were again given 1 on 1 VIP attention. They had numerous ladies eager to provide fashion advice, reassuring compliments, help with finding sizes and styles, and fitting room assistance. Once again, among the popular items for the day- the Claire's accessories. All in all a great day! A special thank you to our wonderful volunteers from Icing and Claire's and the Hotel Monaco, Baltimore. 

Allyson with Joe, Hotel Monaco's General Manager. 

Icing and Claire's volunteers' gift to Allyson.

Allyson and Joe, General Manger of Hotel Monaco.

Nadine (shopper), Mafran (Nadine's grandma), Trish, Jennifer, and Audrey (Icing and Claire's volunteers). 

Stay tuned for more updates about tomorrow's stop in Delaware!

Washington DC

Washington DC
Tuesday, July 22nd

After a restful night's sleep at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, we woke and went downstairs to set up the mobile boutique. We were greeted by two members of Ford's grassroots marketing team. Following their arrival, the local Fox affiliate sent out their reporter, Wisdom and a camera man to film a live segment for the morning show. We were very grateful that Ford's grassroots marketing team was able to put us in connection with the Fox news station.

Wisdom, Allyson, Taylor and Natalie.

Link to clip of Fox News Segment

The segment was successful and so widely watched that we had people visiting the boutique just to get a closer look because they had seen us on TV. Two viewers in particular, Jania and her grandmother, Gwen, saw us and "just had to stop by" to say hi and learn more about what we're doing. Jania was awestruck and inspired by the segment and was truly ecstatic to visit the boutique and meet Allyson, Natalie and Taylor. So sweet! We're always happy to have visitors.

Jania, Allyson, Gwen, and Taylor. 

Following the taping of the morning show segment, Icing and Claire's employees and managers arrived at the boutique ready to volunteer- 6 boxes of donations in hand. The boxes held Claire's accessories including- hats, scarves, jewelry, bags, sunglasses, etc. Not only did their donations replenish our accessories, it provided the boutique with items we previously did not have. We were so excited to receive the donations and we knew the girls would love it all!

Taylor, Natalie and Allyson posing with all of our wonderful Icing and Claire's volunteers.

At around 10 am the girls began arriving for their shopping appointments. Our shoppers were referred by Courtney's House, Family Matters, and CASA. The trailer was booming with the hustle and bustle of numerous shoppers and volunteers. Luckily, we were so heavily staffed that each girl was truly able to receive 1 on 1 VIP attention during her shopping appointment. Our shoppers definitely enjoyed the newly unpacked Claire's accessories. Through the course of the day about 20 girls received clothing and accessories items. All in all it was a great, busy day!! We love doing what we do.

The hustle and bustle of shopping appointments in the boutique.

Following the shopping appointments, we spent the afternoon sightseeing in our spacious, air conditioned C-Max Hybrid. Thanks again Ford!

Capital Building!

Taylor, Natalie, Allyson and Anika at Marine Barracks.

Taylor, Natalie, Allyson, and Anika at Georgetown Cupcakes.

Our delicious Georgetown cupcakes.

9/11 memorial at the Newseum.

The White House!

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

Piece of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum.

Iwo Jima Memorial.

Iwo Jima Memorial.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. 

Off to Baltimore, Maryland!! Stay tuned.

Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Sunday, July 21st 

A pleasant day in Virginia Beach! We began our day with a morning stroll to the beach. 

Following our morning stroll, we set up the mobile boutique and awaited the arrival of our shoppers. Our shoppers were referred by their organization Seton House. The shoppers were in utter shock when Allyson explained that they could select any three items they wanted. One shopper in particular was gasping when she learned that all of the clothing was brand new and she could select whatever she desired. It was truly heartwarming to see the girls' excitement. The girls eagerly tried on multiple outfits and happily strut their stuff through the mobile boutique. One shopper in particular loved her new dress so much that she chose to wear it out. 

Our shopper who opted to wear her new dress out.

(Another shopper is sitting enjoying our AC unit). 

Now off to WASHINGTON DC!!! Stay tuned to hear about our fun filled stop there. 

Charleston, WV

Charleston, West Virginia
Saturday, July 20th

We had a great day in Charleston, West Virginia! The truck was parked at University of Charleston's football stadium parking lot. Through the course of the day, 17 girls from the Children's Home Society of West Virginia visited the mobile boutique. The girls were accompanied by mothers, staff and Andrea, WE CAN Coordinator. Andrea was just as enthusiastic as the girls were about the shopping experience in the mobile boutique! In fact the girls were so eager that they arrived early and offered to help setup! We were flattered by the offer but politely declined because this was their day to be treated, not work. The girls visited the boutique in groups of four, which was great because the truck was booming with positive, high energy. Our shoppers were pleased by the selection of clothing and accessories, some so much that they opted to wear their new outfits out! It was a pleasant day, even despite the humidity and HEAT! Once again the girls made it a worthwhile day.

Two of our shoppers who opted to wear their new outfits out!

Charleston, the capital of West Virginia. 

Taylor, Allyson, Andrea, and Natalie.

Off to Virginia Beach, Virginia stay tuned for updates about tomorrow's stop.

Columbus, OH

Columbus, Ohio
Friday, July 19th

The Third Leg has begun!

We arrived in Columbus, Ohio late last night and had a great night sleep at the Crown Plaza. We woke, excited and ready to begin the Third Leg. Allyson, Natalie, and Taylor were greeted in the lobby by a group of volunteers from Soroptimist International of Columbus and Franklin County: Kristi, Megan (Kristi's daughter), Paula, Vicky, and Helen. The group was a big help in setting up the mobile boutique, prepping for, and running appointments. The women greeted the shoppers, parents, and Kinship staff, with warm smiles and cold water- which was much appreciated!

Megan, Allyson, Kristi, Natalie, Taylor, Paula, Vicky, and Helen. 

A reporter and a photographer from The Columbus Dispatch visited the boutique to interview Allyson, shoppers, parents, and Kinship staff, and to gather information for the story they plan to run tomorrow. Both young men were a pleasure to have and we look forward to reading the article.

Today was Taylor's first day of the tour, but you couldn't tell because she effortlessly adjusted to running appointments. Through the course of the day, 21 girls visited the mobile boutique. The girls were ecstatic and eager to shop! Allyson, Natalie, and Taylor encouraged the girls to try on as much clothing as they wanted, though it was stifling hot in the trailer. One of our shoppers in particular was adamant about not trying on clothing due to the heat, but after some encouragement, she tried on a two blouses and a dresses and loved them so much she wound up taking them all. Another shopper, was tentative about trying on Black Halo dresses, but after Natalie convinced her that they would be perfect for her Senior Homecoming and Prom, she did. Much to her surprise, both dresses fit as though they were made for her! She chose to take both dresses and left with a grin ear to ear. All in all a great day in Columbus, Ohio!

Taylor, Natalie, Diana (shopper), and Allyson. 

Thank you to Soroptimist International of Columbus and Franklin County: http://soroptimistcolumbus.org/?q=node/2, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Soroptimist-International-of-Columbus-Franklin-County/126630247388833

And thank you to The Columbus Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/
(Watch for our story in tomorrow's paper)

Now off to Charleston, West Virginia! But first.. A super shopping spree at Torrid!

Before we left Ohio, we stopped at Torrid to restock our plus size section. The staff at Torrid was superb, one sales associate in particular, Marie, was just as passionate about girl empowerment and self esteem, so she made sure to help us in any way we could. Which we greatly appreciated, considering our receipt was over 20 feet long! But don't worry, we snagged some great deals.

Allyson, Natalie, our helpful sales associate, and Taylor posing with the 20 foot long receipt.

Now off to Charleston, West Virginia. Check back for an update about tomorrow's appointments.

Meet Taylor!

Meet Taylor Foster! She is currently a rising senior at Cardinal Newman High School, and will be 

running the Windsor Threads for Teens boutique this coming fall. Taylor loves fashion and currently co-edits a fashion blog (www.daydreaminautumn.com). She is extremely excited to be working with Threads for Teens and plans to implement several new girl empowerment workshops into the organization. We are excited to have you a part of the Threads for Teens family Taylor!

Check out this interview with to learn more about Taylor.

What are you hobbies?

In my spare time, I enjoy working on my website dedicated to photography and fashion (www.daydreaminautumn.com), spending time with friends, and volunteering at Threads for Teens.

How did you learn about Threads for Teens?

I became involved with Threads for Teens through knowing Allyson and volunteering at the boutique.

Why did you choose to take such an involved role with the organization?

I have chosen to take over Threads for Teens for my CBSL (Community Based Service Learning) Project because I love being able to assist in the building of self-esteem in the young women of Sonoma County. It is such a great feeling to know that I am a part of something that goes beyond simply giving new clothes to teen girls.  

What would you like to bring to the organization?

I am hoping to add a social component to the organization. I am looking forward to possibly hosting activities for girls to meet new friends and share in the empowerment of young women in our society.