Beyond the Racks and the Register

At Top Buttons we have two main programs. The first program is our Boutique Program through which we serve ALL women in our community. We provide a beautiful environment with quality clothing items at low cost for anyone to purchase during public shopping hours. The items we offer would not normally be accessible to many who come shop with us. We strive to provide designer thrift items which are both clean and current for women to choose from for any occasion. It is not uncommon to have families of the girls enrolled in our Wearing Confidence Program come in and shop with us during public shopping hours. We love these opportunities as they enable us to pour into an entire family! We are often asked, “Who is your target market or the main demographic served through the retail side of Top Buttons?” When asked, we take great pride in saying, “As a nonprofit, our goal has never been to be a retail operation. However, we love that we are serving women of all economic backgrounds through our times of public shopping.” It is our hope that as a community, everyone has a way to both give to and receive from Top Buttons. The mission comes full circle as women donate clothes, volunteer, and shop with us. We love providing opportunities for all young women to volunteer. It teaches both job skills and helps many obtain community service hours through our Boutique Program and our Wearing Confidence Program.

Our Wearing Confidence Program is also facilitated through our boutiques and has two components. We offer education on contextual modesty, how to dress on the job, self- compassion, and most importantly - understanding identity in Christ. Through our Wearing Confidence Program, in addition to the educational sessions, we offer boutique sessions. Large groups of girls from our enrolled organizations come to us for private styling sessions. The sessions include styling services, free wardrobes of proper fitting attire, hair and makeup up touchups, free makeup (if age appropriate), professional photoshoots, and a mini devotional or educational piece. It's important for you to know that our stylists are not necessarily fashionistas, they are young women who want to give their time, love on, build up, and encourage girls in our community. Stylists are matched one on one with a program recipient where they shop our stores and talk about style preferences and clothing needs. Modesty really has so much to do with context even more than a specific set of rules. We look to prepare our girls with appropriate attire for school, the work place, and every day/casual options as well! It’s not about creating little GAP models. That’s why having nice thrift clothing is so helpful. We have an overwhelming amount of style options for our girls to mix, layer, and get out of their box with when it comes to their individual clothing vibe. It’s fun. Being together with other young women talking fashion, life, and faith makes for a great combination to connect and grow together. If you want more information about volunteering with us email info@topbuttons.org.

The Power of Being Seen | The Power of Being Enough

Everyone wants to be seen and everyone wants to be known. Growing up in a world with countless social media outlets and apps that filter pictures has created a whole other level to feeling worthy and accepted. I’m not saying all social media is bad, or that at 38 I don’t appreciate a good filter! But I am saying that many of the images we see can skew reality and create goals in the lives of young women that are not only unattainable, but unnecessary.

Top Buttons recently hosted our “Building Up Girls” Event. These events are some of my favorite because all of the girls we serve are invited to come together to receive training from phenomenal women who are excellent in their fields of expertise. While the girls receive important life skill information such as budgeting/financial planning and physical wellness, they also hear important life truths that pertain to who they are as individuals.

Throughout the morning of our most recent event, it was reiterated over and over to every young lady that she was created with and for purpose. Created intentionally by a Creator who sees her, knows her, and loves her.

Many of the girls we serve come from hard places and many would be labeled “at-risk”….meaning there is likely a lack of support and stability that make them easy prey for those who do not have God’s best in mind for them. Over and over again, we have seen how these life dynamics diminish self worth in the lives of young ladies who were wonderfully and fearfully made. It is not hard for young women to fall victim to lies that their life must have been a mistake, doesn’t matter, or has no value. Believing these lies can lead to dangerous behaviors - but as the girls who attended this event heard truths that combated these types of lies, a spirit of liberty could be felt across the room.

The final speaker of the event was Lisa Kirk and she made things personal for the young ladies in attendance. One at a time, she called several up….looked them directly in the eye and spoke into them that they are seen and that they matter - just as they are. She then made each of them own that truth by speaking it for herself.….not whisper it, or mumble it…but speak it confidently to a roomful of other both impressionable and valuable young women. The first young lady who stood up had tears running down her face as our speaker locked eyes with her, SAW HER, and said she was enough. Tears started streaming down many faces in the room as the silence was only broken by the sound of spoken truth as these young ladies acknowledged and verbalized that they mattered, they’re loved, and they’re enough. WOW. It was powerful!

Following Lisa, Sarah Powers closed by sharing her own testimony of overcoming hardship, feelings of failure from not living up to God’s standards, but yet how He saw and rescued her in the midst of it. The girls were given the opportunity to allow God to do the same for them. Heads were bowed and hands were lifted as the girls were asked if they wanted to surrender their lives and strongholds to a God who loves them, wants good for them, and will never leave them. It was a powerful ending to a beautiful event.

We know the young ladies we serve need life-skill training and we love providing it, but we also know these young ladies need the hope and acceptance of a Savior who DOES want God’s best for them. …and they don’t even need a perfectly filtered Instagram page to receive it.

They are seen as they are. And they are enough.

What Is Top Buttons | Commonly Asked Questions

We recognize that we are still a relatively new nonprofit with a unique mission. We love answering questions about our operations. See some commonly asked questions below and if we don’t answer a question you’ve been wondering about, please email us at info@topbuttons.org!

LEGAL and Financial

• When did Top Buttons get started? 12/12/12 


•  Are you a 501(c)3? Yes 


• How are you funded? We obtain funding by community members, grants, corporate sponsorships, fundraising events, and the revenue from our Boutique sales. 


• Why do you sell? We did not start Top Buttons to sell clothing, but it has been a great blessing to our organization and to women of all economic backgrounds in our community as they can both donate and shop while supporting our nonprofit mission.

• Why did you add new clothing in with the designer thrift? At times it is difficult to outfit a Wearing Confidence Program Recipient in thrift clothing alone.  When this is the case, young women are able to take new inventory for free to add to their wardrobe pieces.  Additionally, it allows us to offer more options for customers.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

• Are you a faith-based organization? Yes! We are a faith-based charitable and educational nonprofit organization. We believe that real change comes from the inside out through Jesus Christ and this message is incorporated throughout our program services.

• How do girls qualify to obtain your services? Organizations who serve at risk young women between the ages of 11-25 may enroll with us and receive our Wearing Confidence Program Services free of charge. 


• What type of services and education do you offer? Through our Wearing Confidence Program we provide faith-based, confidence building education and proper fitting attire to more than 300 young women in need each year. 
Click here to see everything we offer through our Wearing Confidence Program.

• How do you measure your impact? We measure our impact through evaluations administered to program recipients and also through feedback obtained from the directors of our enrolled organizations. Also we measure impact through the demand for our services, the number of young women who receive our services, the repeat visits we have through mentorship and life skills training opportunities, and the amount of program recipients who obtain jobs after completing our program.

• What organizations are enrolled with Top Buttons? The Department of Corrections, PACE Center for Girls, Girls Inc., Heartland for Children, The FL Baptist Children’s Home, One More Child, Parker Street Ministries, West Area Adult School, East Area Adult School, Young Lives, Teen Challenge, Boys and Girls Clubs of Lakeland and Mulberry, Echo Ministries, Christ Memorial Youth and many more. 


 THE SHOP AND CLOTHING DONATIONS

• Are you consignment? Where do you get your clothes? We are not a consignment store. We are an educational and charitable nonprofit with a women’s clothing boutique. We offer NEW AND THRIFT clothing. Individuals in our local community donate thrift clothing to us and a donation receipt is given upon request for tax purposes. 


• How much clothing is given away and how much is sold? Approximately 50% is given away through our program services and 50% is sold. It is important to know that the young women we serve, who obtain free clothing, come back in and bring their families to shop with us. Women from all economic backgrounds come shop with us because we offer new clothing and beautiful designer thrift clothing options for them at inexpensive prices.

• What type of clothing donations are you looking for? We accept clothing and accessories from pre-teen to adult, maternity and plus-size for women only.

• How can I donate clothes? You can bring in clothing and accessories any time we are open for public shopping at either one of our boutique locations.  They do not have to be on hangers nor do they have to be specific brands.  We only ask that the items be clean with no holes or stains. Click here to see our boutique locations and hours of operation.

Inside Look: Top Buttons' Story Video

Special thank you to Indie Atlantic Films who produced our first story video through the generosity of their Giving Back Program. This film gives an inside look into the mission of Top Buttons. It truly does take a "Village" to guide our teens down the right path, and we love, love, love working with the girls who have been nominated to participate in our program.  Right now we have a waiting list of organizations for at risk girls who would like to be a part of our Top Buttons Wearing Confidence Program.  We provide our educational and clothing resources to over 200 very deserving girls a semester.  Not only do we work with at risk girls, but girls from all backgrounds are a part of Top Buttons.  They are models, stylists, writers, photographers, they help with creative development, steam, sort, and tag clothing, and much more!  We love being able to provide opportunities for young women to do what they love, while supporting a great cause and getting attention for all the right reasons. Anyone who watches this video and wants to support the work we are doing, please consider giving $10 now by texting "buttons" to "50155". Every little bit counts!  As a non-profit, we are able to continue the work we are doing through the financial donations of our supporters.  And there are more ways to be a part of what we are doing. Check out our Top Buttons Boutique Page for info on clothing donations, public shopping days, and volunteer opportunities.  We truly appreciate the encouragement, the donated time and clothing, and financial resources! https://youtu.be/ngFRlT-TqO4

Building Up Girls on #GivingTuesday

"Giving Tuesday" is coming up quickly on Tuesday, December 1st.  It's an international day of giving back, and we knew you would be interested in an opportunity to provide greatly needed clothing to some very deserving young women!  Would you consider sponsoring one at-risk young woman at $100 to receive our unique Top Buttons Wearing Confidence Program?  Through our program, these young women receive confidence boosting educational sessions, new wardrobes of proper fitting clothing, and much more. Did you know we provide our Wearing Confidence Program to the young ladies of PACE Center for Girls, Porch Light, Heartland for Children, Youth Villa, the Dream Center, Girls Inc, and More?

WHAT TOP BUTTONS HAS MEANT TO PACE CENTER FOR GIRLS, POLK:

"PACE Center for Girls, Polk has had the privilege of a partnership with the amazing Top Buttons organization.  The collaboration between the two non-profit programs, has benefited the PACE girls in a myriad of ways.  Every month, several of our girls are able to participate in the Top Buttons Wearing Confidence Program at the Top Buttons Boutique.  There they learn many necessary skills while having a good time with the wonderful staff.  The Top Buttons team teaches girls how to dress appropriately for a variety of occasions, while maintaining their own sense of style.  Girls have the opportunity to try on an assortment of clothing and accessories through which they take new wardrobes of quality clothing for free. This exercise allows girls to have a hands-on experience while receiving input from the staff.  As part of the program, professionals teach girls how to apply make-up and style their hair in a trendy but appropriate manner.  The Top Buttons staff also comes to the PACE Center to educate our girls about topics surrounding self-esteem and positive body image.  These experiences have meant a great deal to the PACE girls. Through a meaningful approach, they are receiving valuable guidance.  Girls return to school after visiting the program elated and with increased self-esteem.  They also share what they have learned with their peers. Girls within the PACE program, are now working diligently to earn the privilege of this experience. It is something they all strive to be a part of. A big "Believing in Girls" thank you to the Top Buttons non-profit organization for your investment in the girls at PACE Center for Girls, Polk!"

- Marge Connelly, Social Services Manager at PACE Center for Girls, Polk

Top Buttons Wearing Confidence Program Recipients with their personal stylist in the pictures featured below.

Through our Wearing Confidence Program these young women are educated on many topics including:

"How to Dress for Job Interviews & the Workplace" "Feeling Confident from the Inside Out" "Understanding the Impact of Culture on Clothing Choices"   "Importance of Contextual Modesty"   ...AND we don't just educate these young women, we provide them with the clothing resources and tools they need to present their BEST self in every day life.

*in addition to the educational sessions, these young women receive a wardrobe of properly fitted attire, make-up with application and skin care tips, and on-going mentorship and volunteer opportunities within our boutique*

Give $100 to sponsor one girl today (click here) or keep us in mind for  #GIVINGTUESDAY. We are asking every person reading this post to sponsor 1 at-risk girl at $100. Or do what you can, every penny counts!

This year, we have had over 200 at-risk girls participate in our Wearing Confidence Program and we hope to double that number in 2016. Through this #GivingTuesday Campaign, we hope to partner with over 200 people to fund our Wearing Confidence Program through May of 2016.

Thank you for your time and support.  Please share this post with anyone who you feel would also be interested in what we are doing at Top Buttons.

Top Buttons Halloween Costume Contest

Attention all Top Buttons fans and followers!

We are hosting our second annual Top Buttons Halloween Costume Contest. You can enter by submitting a photo of your creative Halloween Costume on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Here's how to enter:

1. Follow & Like TopButtons on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. (Make sure your profile is set to public, so we can see it.)
2. Post a photo of your creative costume on social media.
3. Tag @TopButtons and hashtag #TopButtons.

The contest deadline is October 31 at 11:59PM. The winner will be chosen based on creativity and will be announced on November 1st.

Many will enter, but only ONE will win. Do you have what it takes to claim the $50 Forever 21 Gift Card?

Help the Cause and Get Your Own Super Cute Top Buttons T-Shirt

With our upcoming Top Buttons Fall Wardrobe Makeover Event on September 20th for some very deserving teens in the Central Florida Area, we thought it was perfect timing to sell our Top Buttons T-Shirts Online!  You asked, We heard you! Buy your own adorable Top Buttons TEE right now for $30, and We will give a second shirt to one of the girls who participates in our Wardrobe Makeover Event on September 20th!  THERE ARE 25- 30 GIRLS GETTING WARDROBE MAKEOVERS… Thank you for helping us make sure they each get one at no charge! Purchasing one of these soft, slouchy and comfortable T-Shirts with our New Top Buttons Logo, is the perfect way for you to support the mission of TB and show off your obsession for "Classy Fashion."

Want to know more about our Top Buttons Fall Wardrobe Makeover Event?

 Organizations such as PACE Center for Girls, Teen Challenge, Girls Inc, and others have nominated teen girls between the ages of 13-17 to be a part.  These 25-30 young ladies will have a TB personal stylist help them pick out clothing that fits their personal style and their body type from quality and stylish clothing donated from people in the central Florida area and around the U.S.A. at our ONE DAY EVENT to be held at the beautiful Lake Mirror Tower Ballroom. The girls who participate will be able to take home 10-12 clothing items at no charge, as well as, receive other gifts from our local community. It's going to be pretty amazing!  

There are many ways to help with this event!  If you want to know what else you can do to help, read this article by the Top Buttons Founder.   You should also check out a post from one of our Event Sponsors!

BUY YOUR TOP BUTTONS T-SHIRT HERE QUICK AND EASY.

Quantity

One for Me + One for TB to Give Away $30.00 USD

Sizes

X-Small Small Medium Large X-Large XX-Large

AND We'd love to see what you pair your T-Shirt with.  After you get your tee, be sure to Tag Us…. @topbuttons and use the hashtag #mytopbuttonstee

Sustainable Fashion: It’s a state of mind

Lately there’s been lot of discussion around Eco fashion and sustainable consumption. The latter topic doesn't merely focus on the fashion industry, but is also referred to when considering other industries like the food industry, for example. Previously we discussed on Top Buttons about up cycling trends, a phenomenon that has become a trend in itself. It is both fun and helps to extend the life-cycle of garments. Another important aspect to consider is our patterns of behavior when it comes to consuming clothes. Do we buy for the thrill or do we buy to meet a need?

To start with, I think that in one or several stages of life, many of us have fallen victim to buying or acquiring stuff as a product of social pressure and the desire to conform and be a part of the “in crowd”.  Also perhaps we purchased for therapeutic reasons of getting something new to feel better about one’s self. It seems as though the western consumer mentality leans towards the famous adage: He who has the most toys wins. This mentality has given rise to the predominant culture of mass consumption which in turn has a great impact on endangering our environment and the lives of garment producers working to meet our unending desire for MORE. You can read about the conditions which garments are often produced under by reading this article, Sweatshops still make your clothes.

So what can we take from this? Well, how about thinking about what motivates you to buy in the first place. There’s nothing wrong with loving fashion and following new trends. But in the end, making use of what you already have and being the best steward of it, can have a big impact in shaping consumer culture in a positive way. It’s all about our state of mind. If you can be happy and content with the things that you already have and maximize the benefit of their use, you may find yourself loosing the need to acquire slightly varying replicas of what you already have.

Clearly, sustainable fashion is a wide and vast topic that can and should be covered in greater depth. With this being said, I hope to write more on this is the future. Till then I leave you with this passage:

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we (have the basics of) food and clothing, we will (and should) be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:7- 8)

- Sandra

Donate Your Jewelry and Help Prevent Human Trafficking

With your BROKEN, unused, or unwanted jewelry, YOU can help prevent human trafficking in the Dominican Republic. Top Buttons is working with an organization called FIGHT Ministries (Freeing Individuals from the Grasp of Human Trafficking) based in Jarabacoa, which is in the center of the D.R.

Their purpose is to restore hope, healing, security and safety to the children of the Dominican Republic who live in an oppressed society where human slavery is rampant. As they move towards gaining the means to rescue and rehabilitate young women, they are currently working diligently on prevention.

TRAFFICKING IN THE D.R.

In a 2009 report from the U.S. State Dept for Trafficking in Persons, the D.R. is ranked 4th in the world as a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Also noted was the fact that parents often push their children into prostitution to help support the family. You can read more about the difficulties in assessing the actual number of Haitian and Dominican children being trafficked by going to this link at the UNICEF website.

THE CULTURE

Naomi Ostberg, one of the FIGHT Ministry's Team Members, described the people of the Dominican by saying, "They are loving, generous, and don't seem to meet a stranger. Unfortunately, they have a very strict history of religion which doesn't include a relationship with Jesus. Church is seen as a place one goes weekly to hear a set of rules, not a place for worship and personal growth. Religion can't save or fill the void within us all, only Christ can. We see young women reaching out for attention seeking to fill that void. Along with the challenges of Human Trafficking, sex is accepted here for even the very young. Sexiness with clothing and in attitude is commonly a dictator of who is considered beautiful and is encouraged in order to attract a possible rich spouse. Teaching young women to understand the importance of dressing with proper fitting clothes in order to protect themselves from traffickers, is a part of the FIGHT Ministries prevention plan along with teaching other life skills. These girls are lovely. We want them to know who they are on the inside is what makes them beautiful." She continued by saying, "We are working to show young girls the love of one man, Jesus, is more than enough. He is our Savior. He is our hope. Helping young girls understand this principle will be a stepping stone to encourage change and will help them overcome the challenges they face."

NEW CREATIONS JEWELRY

"New Creations" was started as a part of their fight against human traffickers in this country. As they teach young girls in the community how to make and sell jewelry, they are less likely to believe the lies of the traffickers who try to lure them into slavery with promises of financial security.

FIGHT ministries has partnered with a local church in Jarabacoa. It is through this church that they have found some solid women in the community who their organization has taught the skill of making jewelry. Soon these women will be teaching this trade to their daughters and other children (mostly female) in their neighborhoods.

They want to "re-make" old and broken jewelry into "new creations". Just like Christ has done with us. Of course making money to feed one's family is a must! But the benefits of starting this project are so much bigger than simply putting change in their pockets. They want to equip these women to fight off their intruders with knowledge, a solid community, with an activity that will keep kids off the streets, and see God's provision at work in their lives as they strive to honor Him!

Did you ever imagine that your UNWANTED jewelry whether old or new could be upcycled to prevent Human Trafficking?! We all debate what to do with our tarnished, broken, or unworn jewelry pieces. Please don't throw them away! They have requested:

*buttons, gems, or beads

*broken, new, unwanted, or unworn jewelry

*jewelry making supplies (like clasps)

*any other small items that could be used for jewelry making

We will be collecting jewelry pieces during July and August! Please send items to our office

256 North Kentucky Ave, Lakeland, Florida, 33801, Suite #105

Soon Top Buttons will take a few team members to the Dominican and deliver all the jewelry pieces we have collected. If you have any questions or would like to read more about FIGHT ministries. Please check out their website at fightministries.org.

The images are of Naomi Ostberg and some children of Jarabacoa. Naomi is one of the 5 team members who founded FIGHT Ministries. She was an ESE teacher in central Florida before she and her husband (who had his own construction business) felt called to leave it all one year ago and move to the Dominican Republic to help fight against human trafficking.

A SHOPPING SPREE WITH PURPOSE

The team would agree that our favorite part of the Top Button's Project is being able to Give Back.  In addition to providing cute and modest clothing styles online for young ladies to get ideas from, we take young women on shopping sprees who would not otherwise be able to do so for themselves!  As our organization continues to grow, we look to offer the Top Buttons Wardrobe Makeover opportunity for young women across the country- and more often.  At the bottom of this post are details on how to collaborate with us on this project if interested.

This month we partnered with The Core; a youth group from Epic church in Lakeland, FL.   Anastasia Malone, the host who nominated the teen chosen to be on this shopping spree, began as a leader for The Core a little over a year ago.  She shared a bit about why she volunteers to mentor youth by saying, “I do it because I have a passion for young ladies between the ages of 12-16 to see, understand and grab hold of what God has called and purposed them to do! I just love that age in general, so why not take time out of my week to just love on them!”

As we have done with shopping sprees before, we took Deni into a shop and filled 2 carts full of clothing!  Choosing clothes for Deni to try on was a fun-filled, group effort.  As the shopping progressed, the “no’s” turned into “maybe’s” and the “maybe’s” turned into “YES!”  We did have to convince her to step out of her box a bit to try on a couple items, but once she put them on, the smile of satisfaction on her face told us how pleased she was.  We enjoyed sharing ideas on how to wear different pieces in a way that would express her personal style, work with her body type, and keep her essentials covered.  After a morning of power shopping, Deni went home with several items to create a new wardrobe with!  This sweet young lady came out of the store radiating with positive energy.

And off to Peterson Park we go for Deni's photo shoot in one of her new outfits...

When asked what her favorite part of the day was, Deni said, “picking out the clothes!”  She shared how she felt honored to have been nominated, and we felt honored to have been able to provide her with this experience.

Anastasia Malone is seen below on the left, then Kenady (our TB teen team member), Deni (shopping spree winner), and Anastasia Jones (our TB Give Back Director).

All shopping sprees are funded through donations given to our non-profit organization. If you are interested in donating funds or services to provide deserving teens with a Top Buttons Wardrobe Makeover, please contact Anastasia Jones-Downing at anastasia@topbuttons.org.

Written by: Anastasia Jones

Photo Credit: Shelby Danielle