It was snowing outside. Corissa was driving to Starbucks when she noticed a young girl with a black eye and no coat across the street. Corissa offered to bring her a coffee. Upon delivering it, she noticed the girl looked incredibly young. "She clearly wasn't on drugs. So I asked her name and how old she was," Corissa recalls. It turned out that Angie was only 16 years old. Corissa's heart went out to her. She took Angie in with only the clothes on her back.
"My oldest is 12, and the youngest is 4, so we had nothing for a 16-year-old," Corissa explains. But, through a friend and CPS, Corissa took Angie to Teen & Kid Closet.
Upon arrival, Corissa and Angie were given a list of items. "You get to pick whatever you like from that list, and what the list represents is a full wardrobe," Corissa says.
"The volunteers at Teen & Kid Closet are super friendly and welcoming. They're excited to help and want to see us be blessed. We didn't feel like we were getting hand-me-downs."
Angie had been with Corissa's family for a month when they shopped at Teen & Kid Closet. "Her senses were heightened, and she was in flight or fight mode," Corissa says. "So just allowing her to feel normal for a bit was amazing.
"Angie is bougie as it gets. She loves scented things and is all about trends. Going to Teen & Kid Closet, they had all the Bed, Bath & Beyond sprays and Victoria's Secret PINK stuff, from underwear to makeup. So, she got it all," Corissa added.
They left with four oversized bags of brand-new clothes.
"That helped us get her some clothes and hygiene products. It allowed her to feel like a 16-year-old." Teen & Kid Closet reminds Corissa of a Ross or Marshalls store. "It's incredibly well put together," she said. "Whoever goes through the clothing – it's trendy and clean.
"There's a generous community of people donating nice things and/or buying brand new things to give to Teen & Kid Closet," Corrisa added. "Watching what strangers can do in somebody's life has been a fun journey."
Here's a great way to support Teen & Kid Closet. When you register for Bloomsday, you can donate to Teen & Kid Closet. Register here: https://www.bloomsdayrun.org/
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