Today is the day. We are officially kicking-off the 2015 Threads for Teens Tour! I had no idea what to expect for this day, neither did my mom, sister, or Grandpa. But, we all loaded ourselves into the truck (which had been unhitched from the trailer the night before) and drove to our location. We got to the Allen House (a historic mansion in Los Angeles where we held the event) at about 8:30am.
rue21 Volunteers in Los Angeles!
Our amazing rue21 volunteers, arrived shortly after. As an aside, at the title sponsor of Threads for Teens on Tour, rue21 not only provided many of the amazing clothes on the truck, they also had many of their district managers fly/drive in to volunteer for our events. We honestly could not have completed the tour without the help of our #ruecrew at each of the stops. Anyway, our amazing volunteers helped us to unload the truck, set-up jewelry tables, shoes, racks of clothing, and build swag bags.
As we set-up, girls began to arrive! In the past, our events only consisted of giving girls clothing. I couldn’t wait to debut our new format, a panel with local business-women from LA on goals, lunch, and three workshops. The workshops consisting of videos specially made by Moroccanoil for Threads for Teens, vision board journals, and clothing from the boutique.
The Yummy Donuts from California Donuts in Los Angeles!
However, before the day started, California Donuts donated over 100 custom donuts for Threads for Teens!! All of them were so yummy and adorable. AND, they also cut letters to spell out “Threads for Teens on Tour 2015!” Thank you Danette!! You are amazing. <3
Our panelists for the day were Lauren Cook (Author of Sunny Side Up! Celebrating Happiness), Ailis Garcia (Host for the LA Dodgers and creator of The Strong Movement), and Aneesha DuBois (PR Director for Wildfox Couture). All three are accomplished young women, making big waves in their respective fields. I was proud to present these women as panelists for the event. At 10:15pm, we started the panel! Girls were in the audience and ready to go.
(L – R) Allyson Ahlstrom, Aneesha DuBois, Lauren Cook, Ailis Garcia
All of the panelists spoke a bit about their jobs and answered questions about going to college, female mentors, and setting goals. A common theme echoed throughout, that the girls could do anything they set their minds to, they just needed to work for it. Lauren specifically talked about how everyone she has ever talked to said they want to be happy, and gave some tips of how to be happy. Ailis told the girls about how she finds a lot of inspiration from reading. Aneesha focused on how its okay to have a million different goals and how you can accomplish them all! These women definitely empowered me!
With Emily Lohrman, Moroccanoil
After this, we were fortunate enough to have Chipotle donate lunch (burritos/chips) for everyone at the event. After the girls ate, we split the girls into three groups and threw them into the different stations. Our #ruecrew did an amazing job of styling the girls and making sure they chose the best options.
Inside the mansion, Emily Lohrman, Sr. Public Relations and Events Manager for Moroccanoil, taught the girls how to use their amazing product. All of the girls at the event went home with Moroccanoil Treatment and Hairspray in their swag bags!! The partnership with Moroccanoil specifically came about through their #InspiredByWomen campaign. I was chosen to be an Influencer for the campaign, which was an amazing experience. As a result, they also donated product for our tour.
Vision Board Leader, Lisa Thompson
A young lady making a vision board journal in Los Angeles
Inside, we had Sarah Herrington lead girls in making vision board journals. I actually found her through Pinterest! How incredible is that?! We also had Lisa Thompson, a certified Vision Board Institute Coach, helping girls make journals. These journals gave girls the opportunity to take a goal that may be swimming in their heads and create actionable steps to seize the dream.
Happy Shoppers in Los Angeles!
Before I knew it, the day was over and all of our volunteers were helping to clean up. Before closing this post, here are some coments taken from our guestbook regarding all of the girls’ experiences.
“You guys are amazing. Thank you for being here helping girls who need it.”
“Thank you so much. J This is so nice of you guys. This was a really nice experience for me.”
“Thank you very much for this opportunity. As I have learned when prayers go up, blessings come down.”
“Thank you so much. This means so much to me, more than you could believe.”
P.S. Did you know we are opening a boutique in Los Angeles!?! Simran Chowdhry, the young lady who is opening the store, came to our stop to volunteer. Thank you Simran!! Will post a long blog on the expansion soon. 😉
