Detroit, MI

Detroit, MI

We were greeted this morning in Detroit to five eager volunteers who came to us from Claire's Accessories.  They were such a big help in setting up the mobile boutique and getting us organized.  We were also ecstatic to have twenty-four girls come in today and receive brand new outfits. The trailer was overflowing with girls trying on dresses and picking out jewelry.  However, each girl still got a personal shopping experience with the help of the Claire's girls who offered style advice, opened fitting rooms, and color coated the racks.  This left time for other volunteers to sort through storage and organize the massive amounts of clothing that has been donated for the tour.  It was cold and productive day in Detroit that was well spent serving others.

Allyson was very grateful that Suzanne Rielle of Loobalee.com came to visit today.

A group of girls who came to shop today.

Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis, Indiana

Friday, June 28th

We arrived to our hotel early on Thursday and were greeted by the kind and welcoming hotel staff of the luxurious Conrad Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. We had a great stay at this hotel and it was a prime location for the appointments in the trailer. Thank you so much to the Conrad Hotel for welcoming us! 

Allyson with the manager of the Conrad hotel.

This morning many excited girls arrived to the trailer all at once, eager and ready to get their new clothes!  It was a bit crowded in the trailer with many people in it, but we were all able to manage.  Usually it gets extremely hot in the trailer when there are so many people, but today the weather was perfect; not too hot and not too cold, with a gentle breeze blowing through the trailer.  This breeze caused the fitting rooms to fly open often, but that problem was soon fixed when the hotel sent someone down with binder clips.  These clips solved the problem of the dressing rooms flying open in the midst of someone trying on clothes, so the girls greatly appreciated this small favor from the hotel. With the help of us and their social workers, the girls  all found their perfect items and had a great time shopping.  

While we had girls finding clothes, we also had many visitors from the street who came in to see what Threads for Teens is.  Among these visitors was a philanthropy group from a local college sorority, a social worker from a local organization, and the manager of the hotel.  Later in the day, a Spanish-only speaking family came in to ask what the trailer was for.  Thankfully, Kelsey had taken four years of Spanish in high school, so she was prepared to speak to them about Threads for Teens!  Overall, the day was a nice mix of good weather, great girls, and numerous visitors!  We packed up the trailer happy with the days events, but sad to leave the great city of Indianapolis.  

We had a beautiful view of Indianapolis from our hotel.

We are now excited for another great day in Detroit, Michigan!

Louisville, KY

Louisville, KY

Today was a relaxing and rewarding day here at Threads for Teens on Tour.  We began by setting up the trailer as usual and welcomed several guests early that morning including family and friends. One of our guests was Madison Roy and her family. Madison and her brother have a radio show which they interviewed Allyson for that morning.  Soon after, girls began coming in at a steady pace.  One girl was a very picky shopper as she was looking for just the right casual t-shirt in an extremely small size.  It was a challenge to find an outfit that would put a smile on her face.  However, after searching through several boxes we were able to send her home with three shirts just her style.  Later in the day, a woman named Lucy who is a CASA volunteer was able to come in and pick out a few outfits for girls who were not able to come to the mobile boutique.  Lucy was so excited to look around at all the beautiful dresses and tops. Referring to the foster girls she mentors Lucy said "They are going to freak, they have never had these kind of clothes". 

 

Madison Roy is a friend of Allyson's who she met at Prudential Spirit of Community Award.  Madison has raised over $9,000 through the sale of two books that she and her brother wrote.   The profits go towards helping families dealing with leukemia and sickle cell anemia. 

Some of the girls shopping during our stop in Louisville, KY.

Emily Kossey, a girl who Allyson met at ANN Power & Vital Voices is also active in her community.  Her project teaches underprivileged families healthy eating habits through informative cooking classes.

Nashville, TN

Nashville, Tennessee
Wednesday, June 26th

Our drive from Charlotte to Nashville was one of the most beautiful drives we have had.  We passed through  the gorgeous Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, where the Hunger Games was filmed! We were greeted by an enormous and beautiful sunset upon our arrival to Nashville.

The biggest sun we've ever seen!

Finally, after a very long seven hour car ride, we arrived at the amazing Indigo Hotel! They were so kind and welcoming to us, and surprised us all by leaving a gift bag in our room! Thank you Hotel Indigo!

The contents of the care package from Hotel Indigo!

The next morning we woke up ready to start the days appointments. First, we realized that the carpets were dirty, so we asked the hotel to lend us a much-needed vacuum!

Allyson got to work vacuuming the carpets.

After everything was cleaned and ready to go, the girls came in to start their shopping!  One of the girls was having a hard time finding clothes that she liked, but we noticed that she was wearing a collared button-down shirt, so we matched her up with a checkered blue shirt of similar style.  Many of the girls liked the turquoise blue shorts and asked for our help with finding a top to match it.  It was fun searching through the clothes with the girls to find a matching shirt that they liked.  In the end, we were able to help all the girls find clothes that they loved, and everyone left happy with their choices!

Allyson helping a girl find a cute dress.

 

Vernel Mitchell, an advocate supervisor of CASA, stopped by the trailer for a while to see us.

              

The hotel was also able to lend us a ladder so the chandelier could be fixed! Thanks again!
Meanwhile, Katie is taking her turn cooling off in front of the air conditioner; it was a very hot day in Nashville!

Ronni Anderson, the director of sales from Hotel Indigo, came down to say hi to all of us.

Allyson and Amy pose for a picture together.  So cute!

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, NC

There was only one wave of girls for the day who we were thrilled to have in our mobile boutique.  They were able to take their time in looking around and find the perfect outfits.  We started by introducing ourselves and asking each of the girls their names, then after showing them around the boutique we began pulling items that we thought would fit each of the girls' personal style.  One girl named Brianna, who I was able to help shop and talk to stuck to the basics with a sweater, shoes, and a simple t-shirt. Another girl spent most of the time picking through dresses amazed at the variety. As one girl wrote in our guest book "a beautiful selection!"  Katie was also able to connect personally with one girl who was seventeen and talk about high school and sports.  Overall, it was a rewarding day spent in beautiful North Carolina.

Taylor Waters, a fellow HALO award winner, came to the mobile boutique to visit today. She works with the Red Cross, spending much of her time raising awareness and funds for the organization. Allyson really enjoyed being able to visit with her and show her more about the organization.

A girl shopping for a new outfit in Charlotte, NC

A quote from our guestbook that truly inspired our volunteers:

"Thank you so very much. We hope your idea and vision grow as you grow which you have plenty of years!" - Charlotte, North Carolina

Columbia, SC

Columbia, South Carolina
Monday, June 24th

We never thought it could happen, but the humidity didn't faze us too much today!  After struggling through six days of unbelievable heat and humidity, we were finally getting used to it.  Believe it or not, we survived the day in the trailer without air conditioning! All the appointments went really well and the girls all loved their items.  We had a great time talking with them about different South Carolina and North Carolina attractions that we could do today.

After the appointments were finished, we packed up and started our short drive to North Carolina!  Before heading out, we stopped at Jason's Deli, our go-to lunch place, and got some great food.  After, we walked over to a cute cupcake store and bought some delicious cupcakes.  While we were eating we noticed that it had gotten very windy and cloudy outside.  Within minutes, it was a complete downpour.  We got completely soaked on our run to the car, and then watched as the road flooded up to the sidewalk within minutes.  The rain pounded on us during most of our drive to Charlotte, but thankfully it stopped when we got there!

Our favorite, Jason's Deli!

Kelsey, Allyson, and Katie with their delicious cupcakes!

Our view of the flooding outside from inside the car.

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville, FL

Today was by far the hottest and most humid day yet, but also one of the most memorable and exciting.  The morning was productive and many of the girls found purses, necklaces, and dresses that they loved. We were lucky enough to have several visitors to our mobile boutique today. 

One of those visitors was Dana, a friend of Allyson's who she met at the Coca-Cola Scholarship program.  

 Lee Kaywork the CEO of Family Support Services came to the shop today.

After appointments were finished, we were able to spend the day at Amelia Island with Gary, a family friend of the Ahlstroms. We were so thankful to be treated to lunch at a restaurant right on the beach and took pictures near the waves.  We cooled off with a scoop of homemade ice cream as we walked around downtown. Overall, we had an amazing time in Jacksonville thanks to Gary Moberg and the wonderful girls who came to shop today.

A view of downtown at Amelia island.