Photo Credit: John Kazaklis ***You can purchase the most recent TB tee at the downtown Top Buttons Boutique location!
Hello Summertime! Summer in Florida is back again, and the t-shirts, crop tops and flip flops have slowly begun awakening from their short lived hibernation. Just days ago I was able to finally unfold one of my favorite T's, and was once again reminded of the undeniable impact that my favorite non-profit continues to make on the surrounding community! Top Buttons is a 501 (c)(3) in Lakeland, FL that is passionate about build self-esteem in young women through fashion. Top Buttons provides full wardrobe makeovers, and hosts/facilitates educational events and seminars for young women who may have come from difficult backgrounds, inspiring them to see their true beauty and worth undefined by their past hurts & difficult experiences. TB has been warmly received by this charming little city-town called Lakeland, and thousands upon thousands of individuals and organizations continue to rally around this cause through hosting fundraising events and purchasing clothing at TB's newest upscale clothing boutique location downtown. Some of my readers have asked me how I became involved in Top Buttons, so I thought I would write a little blog post about my experience for all to see!  Photo Credit: John Kazaklis
Let me take you back to a particularly warm day in March 2012....
...actually, let's go back to 2007 first :) I have always been particularly ambitious. During my freshman year of college I registered on my universities career portal looking for employers interested in hiring young talent. Fast forward 3 years, and it's my junior year of college. My university was hosting a leadership forum, there were an estimated 700 people in attendance and I believe George W. Bush and his wife were slated to speak at this particular event. In order to pull off a massive undertaking like this, a large number of volunteers were needed and willingly jumped into the fray (myself included)! On the first or second day of the forum, a woman approached me asking for a hair tie. The A/C in the room was covered by a couple of massive screens, and the temperature inside the room was rising fast. This woman had a glorious head full of curls, which looked to be contributing to her rising body temperature. She was also about 7 months pregnant at the time with her precious son Graham, I promptly set off to find a hair tie, and returned with a rubber band which she willingly and gratefully accepted without skipping a beat! I asked her name, it was Sarah. She asked me mine, and we got to chatting, eventually deciding to add each other on Facebook. Fast foward 2 years... I received a phone call from a local number that I did not recognize. I answered a bit hesitantly, and heard "Hi Anastasia. This is Sarah Powers. Do you remember me by chance?" and in fact, I did! Sarah had found my number via my universities online portal, and after typing in her search criteria, recognized my name on the resume I had posted almost 5 years before! It's simply wild and absolutely no coincidence! We got to talking, and she told me all about her heart for young women, and her desire to launch a movement that will empower them to recognize and embrace their true worth and beauty! Sarah had it all planned out, and would use fashion as a medium to accomplish this goal! I wasn't particularly into the latest fashion trends, BUT I had quite a large network of well-educated and inspiring college students that I knew would LOVE to be a part of something so new and exciting! And the rest is history! Our small team started meeting at Starbucks once or twice a week well after the sun had set and meet for 2-3 hours at a time. It was only the beautiful beginning! Back to present day... Top Buttons is thriving! I have never been more convinced of the positive impact and the overwhelming need that it has continued to meet in this city. Currently I serve on the Board of Top Buttons, and it has been such a joy playing a small role in this inspiring and life changing organization. For all my young professionals out there, one of the best things that you can do early on in your career is to donate your time toward a cause that's greater than yourself. I believe there is something positive that happens in our hearts and minds when we are able to see a need and meet it! We gain a new perspective, and a more developed world view. We are also able to network along the way (and networking can always lead to better and brighter opportunities). We have a responsibility to help make this world a better place! Let's have fun and do it together! Subscribe below to have the latest updates delivered to your inbox! You can Join the TB movement by visiting their website and donating here! Love, Stasia Rose Comments are closed.
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