LAKELAND, Fla — A Lakeland non-profit's mission is to provide clothes, education, and resources to girls in Polk County who need them most.
Top Buttons started in 2012 and partners with organizations like Pace Center for Girls and Heartland to help girls ages 11-25.
"We are so honored to work with every girl that walks in here, whether it's an individual that's been rescued from trafficking, and they really don't have anything to wear, and we can help provide them their resources for that immediate need to the large group that comes in here. So we're serving 500 young women a year through our clothing, resources and our education," says Sarah Powers, Founder and CEO of Top Buttons.
At their location in Lakeland, the girls are matched with a personal stylist to find clothes that fit their personalities. They are also given hygiene products and trained for job interviews.
"We want them to see a whole new world ahead of them. One where they have support, they have people on the journey that are coming alongside them to help them reach their goals. Some of them don't even have goals. But when they put on this new attire that feels good, it fits right on their body, it sends a positive message to those around them, it really helps create a sense of self worth in them. That is very difficult to do just from the inside out," explains Powers.
When the girls come in to shop, it feels like they are getting brand-new items. The clothes are carefully selected for each individual.
Powers says, "We curate the racks for the girls. We want them to find things that they feel good. And so when they come in, it has a really special vibe just for them."
Top Buttons accepts gently used clothing.
In addition, anyone can come in and shop for their clothing, too!
"I really wanted to provide a positive fashion resource that was filtered from the sexually explicit material that's commonly associated with the fashion and media industry, where basically, they're out for a profit, you know, and they're exploiting our young girls. And they're teaching our young girls a lot of things that aren't necessarily healthy and good for them. They're comparing themselves to the images in the magazine, they're looking at the clothing options that are available, which often are not appropriate. And so really wanting to get in that arena and provide a different fashion resource," says Powers.
It's set up as a boutique to help support their mission, and next door, they have Plum, a store with new clothing to help.
"Plum came out of that desire to provide some unique clothing option for women in this community where they can support top buttons and still buy things that are new," says Powers.
Powers is also participating in The World's Toughest Bicycle Race to raise funds for Top Buttons.
Powers and 3 other women are biking from California to Atlantic City, New Jersey (3,000 miles) in just 8 days.
They head out on June 15.
"It is very humbling the amount of people that want to be a part of this and help see young women in our community impacted and they're the future business leaders and you know, moms and wives. I mean, we want them to feel empowered, so that they can go out and accomplish great things for our community," Powers said.
