THAT'S
THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL FOR TEENS IS HOW THEY LOOK, WHEN THEY ARE
GOING TO SCHOOL THEY
WANT TO FIT IN.. THEY
WANT TO BE WEARING
THINGS THAT OTHER
PEOPLE ARE WEARING
I WISH EVERY
COMMUNITY MEMBER
COULD WALK THROUGH
THESE DOORS AND SEE
WHAT WE OFFER HERE!
THIS IS "THE CLOSET" IN
BOISE!
IT MAY LOOK JUST LIKE A
TEEN RETAIL SHOP, BUT
IT'S SO MUCH MORE.
IT'S A NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION THAT
PROVIDES FREE
PROVIDES FREE
CLOTHING
CLOTHING TO ADA COUNTY TEENAGERS IN NEED.
"THE CLOSET" GOT A BIG
AND UNEXPECTED
DONATION RECENTLY
THAT WE JUST HAVE TO
CELEBRATE.
HERE'S MAGGIE O'MARA
WITH TONIGHT'S 7'S
HERO.
I STARTED THE CLOSET IN
2010, JUST A NEED TO
GIVE BACK TO OUR
COMMUNITY, I FELT THAT
TEENS WERE KIND OF A
FORGOTTEN POPULATION.
FORGOTTEN POPULATION.
WE
WE DON'T
WE DON'T REALLY POUR INTO KIDS THE WAY WE DO THE YOUNGER KIDS...
THIS IS KELLY MCMURRY,
THE FOUNDER, AND THE
HEART AND SOUL OF THE
CLOSET. TEENAGERS IN
NEED COME IN, AND GET
A PRIVATE ONE HOUR
SHOPPING APPOINTMENT
WITH KELLY - OR ONE OF
HER WONDERFUL
HER WONDERFUL
VOLUNTEERS. THAT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO POUR
INTO THESE TEENS AND
GIVE THEM LOVE AND SELF
CONFIDENCE, SOME
COMPLIMENTS ON WHAT
THEY ARE TRYING ON!
THEY GET TO PICK OUT
THINGS THEY LIKE AND
GET TO LEAVE WITH A BIG
BAG OF CLOTHING ITEMS
OF THEIR CHOICE.
THE RACKS ARE FILLED
WITH THE LATEST TRENDS,
AND CLOTHES YOU'LL
FIND AT ANY MALL! KELLY
GAVE US A TOUR.
ONCE THEY GET
SHOPPING IN THE ROOM
AND SEE THE NAME
BRANDS THAT OTHER KIDS
ARE WEARING AND
THINGS THAT THEY WANT
TO WEAR, THEY START TO
LOOSEN UP.
THEY START TO SEE THAT
THIS IS A SAFE PLACE TO
BE! AND IT DOESN'T TAKE
BUT TEN MINUTES OF
BEING IN THIS ROOM AND
SEEING OUR INVENTORY
TO SAY THIS PLACE IS
COOL, COOL.
ALL OF THE CLOTHES
AND
AND ACCESSORIES ARE DONATED. WE OFFER SERIOUSLY
AMAZING STUFF, OUR
COMMUNITY IS AMAZING
IN WHAT THEY PROVIDE
TO US! NIKE IS A
SUPPORTER TO ME SO
EVERY TEEN GETS A NEW
PAIR OF NIKES THAT KIND
OF SEALS THE DEAL RIGHT
THERE.
THERE. THE TEENAGERS WHO COME TO THE CLOSET
SIGN THIS WALL BEFORE
THEY GO... SOMETHING
THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO
KELLY.
"YOU MADE ME CRY WITH
HOW LOVING AND
GIVINGIG YOU LADIES
WERE, THANK YOU TIMES
A MILLION, THAT IS JUST
BEAUTIFUL KELLY!
AND THIS KEEPS FILLING
UP... WE JUST KEEP
ADDING PANELS. WE
DON'T GET RID OF ANY
SIGNATURES."
THE CLOSET ACCEPTS
CASH DONATIONS TOO,
AND THERE'S ONE THAT
REALLY STANDS OUT THIS
YEAR! THAT'S WHERE SARA
WELLS COMES INTO THIS
STORY.
SARA, YES! IT'S SO CRAZY
HOW THAT ALL CAME
ABOUT!
SARA IS A FOOD
BLOGGER AND
INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER
WHO LIVES RIGHT HERE IN
OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR COMMUNITY.
"MOST
"MOST OF
"MOST OF MY PLATFORM IS FOCUSED AROUND FOOD BUT EMCOMPASSES
FAMILY AND GARDEN AND
COMMUNITY."
SHE HAS OVER 50
THOUSAND FOLLOWERS.
WE COME TOGETHER FOR
THINGS AND CAUSES...
WE COME TOGETHER FOR
THINGS AND CAUSES...
THERE'S ALOT OF
DISCUSSION AND
COMMUNICATION AND
IT'S JUST A GREAT
COMMUNITY THAT'S
GROWN OVER THE YEARS.
SARA CONTACTED ME BY
PHONE AND SAID SHE
HAD A GROUP OF GIRLS
THAT HAD A DONE A
CLOTHING DONATION,
THEY HAD COLLECTED
CLOTHES AND WANTED
TO DONATE THEM TO ME
IN PERSON.
SHE BROUGHT THE GIRLS
FROM HER CHURCH
GROUP OVER, AND THEY
WERE BLOWN AWAY BY
THE CLOSET.
"THEY LOVED IT, THEY
THOUGHT IT WAS SO
AMAZING AND THEY
WERE SO INSPIRED BY THE
WORK KELLY WAS DOING."
SARA WAS JUST AS
IMPRESSED - SHE DECIDED
TO TRY TO RAISE SOME
MONEY FOR KELLY WITH
HELP FROM HER
INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS.
SO, SHE SHARED WHAT
THE CLOSET WAS ALL
ABOUT!
"I PUT A SCREENSHOT OF
MY
MY VENMO
MY VENMO ACCOUNT I SAID I'D LOVE TO GIVE KELLY A LITTLE GIFT... AND
IF YOU WERE INSPIRED BY
HER STORY LIKE I WAS
AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO
HELP MAKE MAGIC FOR
TEENS IN OUR
COMMUNITY. JUST A
SHOOT A COUPLE
DOLLARS MY WAY AND
PEOPLE DID! MY
FOLLOWERS COME FROM
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY,
PEOPLE JUST OPENED UP
THEIR HEARTS."
IN 24 HOURS TIME,
DONATIONS CONTINUED
TO ROLL IN. SARA
COULDN'T BELIEVE IT
WHEN SHE ADDED IT ALL
UP!
IT WAS 20 THOUSAND
DOLLARS!
I WAS SO EXCITED!
SO SHE CAME HERE, AND
I'M NOT KIDDING YOU, SO
CASUALLY, SHE WALKS IN...
I OPEN THE ENVELOPE...
AND INITIALLY LOOKED AT
THE DOLLAR AMOUNT IT
AND I SAW 200, I SAW 2
AND A BUNCH OF ZEROS.
SO I THOUGHT IT WAS 200
DOLLARS AND THAT WAS
A HUGE BLESSING TO ME.
AND
AND I
AND I WAS
AND I WAS SO EXCITED AND THEN I LOOK AT THE
WRITTEN
WRITTEN AMOUNT AND IT SAI D 20,000 AND I LOOKED UP AT HER, SHE'S
JUST STANDING THERE
BEAMING AT ME, I SAID
SARAH IT SAYS 20K SHE
SAID IT DOES, I SAID NO IT
DOESN'T, SHE SAID YES IT
DOES. I WAS SO
OVERWHELMED, I HAVE
NEVER RECEIVED A CHECK
THAT LARGE.
SHE WAS SPEECHLESS,
SHE JUST KEPT SAYING IS
THIS REAL, DO YOU KNOW
THIS IS 20K AND I'M LIKE I
KNOW!!!!
AND HOW BEAUTIFUL TO
THINK THAT SHE HAS
FOLLOWERS THAT ALL
CHIPPED IN AND WITHIN
HOURS, 24 HOURS SHE
CAME UP WITH 20
THOUSAND DOLLARS,
THAT'S A BIG DEAL!
SARA WROTE THE NAME
OF EACH INSTAGRAM
DONOR ON THIS CARD...IT
NOW HANGS PROUDLY IN
THE SHOP.
WHAT AN AMAZING
THING YOU CAN
ACCOMPLISH WHEN A LOT
OF PEOPLE COME
TOGETHER... EVEN WITH A
SMALL THING, IT REALLY
TURNS INTO SOMETHING
BIG!
IT JUST OPENED UP THE
DOORS TO A LOT OF
THINGS THAT CAN NOW
BE POSSIBLE FOR US.
SEVEN'S HERO
SEVEN'S HERO
TEENAGERS
TEENAGERS IN ADA COUNTY ARE REFERRED TO THE CLOSET IN SEVERAL
WAYS... BY THEIR SCHOOL
COUNSELORS, JUVENILE
CORRECTIONS, HOMELESS
SHELTERS, AND FOSTER
CARE AGENCIES.
WALK-INS ARE ALSO
ACCEPTED, ON A CASE BY
CASE BASIS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON "THE CLOSET", AND
HOW YOU CAN BE A PART
OF THIS WONDERFUL
NONPROFIT - GO TO THIS
STORY ON KTVB-DOT-