Testimonials

Haley Boone - Volunteer

Hi my name is Haley Boone, I'm a proud volunteer at Bloomin Boutique. I was asked to tell a little bit about why I volunteer at Bloomin Boutique! While there's a bunch of reasons I love volunteering with this organization, l'll tell you my main reason why. When I was about two years old my parents divorced which meant my mom was a single mom of two under two while still getting her masters degree. As you can assume this was hard. My mom was able to get us on food stamps, and in organizations like Bloomin boutique to help us. These type of organizations not only help support family's like mine, they create a sense of normalcy for the child. A gift I will never forget was when I was in kindergarten and organization gifted me a container of new my little pony dolls, and why I won't forget this gift is cause I knew someone who didn't know me, didn't know how much toys or clothes I had, chose to gift me a birthday gift out of the kindness of there hearts. While it may seem small, of there hearts. While it may seem small, to me that was an extremely happy moment for me cause it meant I was like every other little girl in my class. And I could say I also had the same toy. So when you chose to volunteer with Bloomin Boutique and maybe it's only for an hour, or you donate "only" a dollar. Remember that hour of volunteering gave two kids care packages of new clothes or that dollar bought a fidget for a little girl who has trouble focusing in class. The donations you give no matter the size create a larger impact on the family and child than you may ever know. Growing up being in a low-income family and receiving help from amazing volunteers like the ones in this room have shaped me to be the person I am today. Today I strive to help others who grew up in the same situation as me. I'm currently getting my bachelors in sociology to become a police officer, and while being a police officer I plan to continue to volunteer with Bloomin Boutique as long as I can.

Bettina Boles ESD K-12 School Social Worker

Patti, I would like to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible work you do to support students throughout Clackamas County. As a school social worker and currently the only one in my district, which encompasses four schools with approximately 60% of our student population living in poverty, your resources have been invaluable. Your program not only serves as a reliable source of support but also goes above and beyond to make a meaningful impact on our students' lives. It is truly a relief to collaborate with an organization that cares for my students as much as I do, while maintaining such organization and consistency. Although you may not always hear the individual stories of the students you help, I want to share a few that highlight the significance of your contributions. Many of our students face tremendous challenges, including losing their homes to wildfires, experiencing domestic violence, entering foster care, or arriving in our country with little more than the clothes on their backs. Additionally, many families struggle to provide basic necessities as their children grow. I wish you could witness the joy and sense of care these students feel when I deliver the wonderful items from Blooming Boutique. One young kindergarten student, upon receiving her a pair of shoes, couldn’t contain her excitement, running around her classroom exclaiming, “Look how beautiful my feet are!” Her parents shared that this was a monumental moment for their family, as it was the first pair of shoes, she’d ever had that were worn by her first.  Thank you for your unwavering commitment and generosity. Your efforts are truly transforming lives in our community, and I am immensely grateful for your support.

Volunteer; Aliyah Kelly

I have been fortunate to volunteer with the Bloomin Boutique for the last 5 years and have seen so much growth in that time. From tables and stacks of clothes, with room to grow, when I started to now bins and boxes, and busting at the seams, I feel so fortunate to see our community and donors grow the Bloomin Boutique to what it is.  With our latest project we have transitioned our assorted storage options to open, stackable bins to allow volunteers to most efficiently build care packages for each individual kid and better assess the inventory of the boutique. For a volunteer building a care package, they are able to go to a designated section of the boutique, sorted by size, and fulfill the order with ease. Gone are the days of searching for size small leggings and finding an XXL! With tops now hanging up, volunteers can easily find pieces unique to each child’s style.  Having done countless jobs around the boutique, furniture disassembly, shoe organizer, jean folder, personal shopper, and so many others I can truly say that every donation finds a home and is put to use. There has always been a focus on the child’s experience, adding birthday packages, art kits and makeup kits to make every child feel special in addition to their unique clothing selection. From my first year to current, donations have flooded in, and volunteers are hard at work making it possible to help as many kids as the Bloomin Boutique does annually. I can only wait to see what the future has in store. 

Taylor Simonson, ODHS

Hi Patti, these care packages are so beyond meaningful to each family they touch. I have been able to witness the impact of what Bloomin’ Boutique is able to provide each time a family receives their order. It is truly amazing the smiles, the confidence, and the relief that you are able to bring these families when they are needed. You truly go above and beyond to meet needs of the children. Every package that you create for the families are so full compassion that you can feel it. I wanted to thank you and let you know how much we as a community appreciate the time and effort you put in to make this happen.  

Patti Serres

This is from me:   Patti and all the volunteers are such angels for the families in need that I serve as a TANF Family Coach at ODHS.  I work with families experiencing deep trauma, poverty and domestic violence on a daily basis that cannot afford basic need items for their children.  I’ve been referring to Blooming Boutique for about 4 years and they always do such amazing work and go above and beyond to ensure these families are getting needs met for the children.  Recently, they had put together an order for a family with 3 children who were fleeing a DV situation and had to leave with nothing.  They went out of their way to ensure the kids had ample clothing and toys within 24 hours.  It was such a joy to see the looks on the kids’ faces, watching them hug their plushies and get excited about the clothes, shoes and rain boots.  The mom was in tears of gratitude, and it really helped her feel like there are people who do care, made her feel less lost and prevented her from reaching out to the abuser for help.  Another family who recently received an order had the same awe-struck reaction and the 4 y.o. daughter immediately took out the hair bow and clipped it into her hair and put on the sunglasses with the tags still on walking around the house like she was a super model.  Too cute and truly amazing work for these families in need.  Thank you for shining the light and giving hope and joy for the families I serve; you are more appreciated than you know!!   Thanks,  

Raina Mills Family Coach

I am a Family Coach with the Oregon Department of Human Services in Self-Sufficiency. I wanted to extend gratitude to Blooming Boutique for the positive impact you have on the Oregonians we serve. I honestly wish I could “bottle up” the emotion, joy and delight, really, that comes across the faces of those who receive your care packages. If your intent is to make a difference – it’s working!!! Typically, our participants are coming to our storefront offices to pick up their items from their Family Coaches. When we walk out with the bags of new, thoughtful, tailored-to-them items they are overjoyed. We hear, “Really, this is for us?”, or “Are you kidding me?”, or “Oh, my gosh!”, sometimes they don’t have words and shed a tear. Not surprisingly this experience gives back to us Family Coaches as well, as delivering this “good news” feels so good, that collectively we are all making a difference. It really is such a highlight of our work. Thank you again for all you do, it really is a transformative approach to giving and our Oregonians are better for it. Many, many, thanks,

Christine Warner Family Coach | Case Manager

Padmore family  

My children loved all of the items they received they were overwhelmed with happiness. I would love to let you know how much you helped my family, from starting over with nothing to building our confidence back up. Seeing the smiles light up on their faces relieved so much stress I couldn’t help but think of all the families’ you guys have helped as well you are truly amazing. I am so thankful for you all helping keep us warm this winter and also the cuddly stuffies. My children lay with them at night. I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate you and how we have been making use of everything you gave us. Thank you very much.  

Raina Mills Family Coach

IVAN ESPINOZA – FAMILY SUPPORT

Hello Patti, here are some comments from a client of mine and some of my comments as well. “He loved the toys and hasn’t stopped playing with them and he sleeps with the llama he got too. He’s a huge fan of plushies right now so he was excited.” -from a NWFS client   “Bloomin’ Boutique really goes above and beyond with serving the families. When a client realized that she ordered her son’s clothes a little too big, Patti and the team didn’t hesitate in making a new bag of clothes with the right size for the kid. In addition to the beautiful clothes and cool toys that Bloomin’ Boutique provides for the children, the folks who fix these bags together really do care about the welfare and comfort of these kids, and they maintain their integrity with that servant’s heart for their community. Thank you all and keep up the outstanding work.

More short testimonials

Bloomin’ Boutique is an awe-inspiring non-profit organization changing children and youth's lives. Patti and her remarkable volunteers put together a care package for 3 young ladies in Junior High/ High School. This family is a multi-generational home and Mom lost her job as a nurse to stay home and take care of her parents. With the help of Bloomin’ Boutique these young ladies can start school with new clothes and confidence. The family thanks you and appreciates your support. Mom said, “I can't believe this is all for them! All of this is adorable, especially the boots! Thank you!” Thank you Bloomin’ Boutique for supporting families and making a difference one family at a time.

This youth recently started bike riding to support his physical health and mental well-being. He lives with diabetes and recently lost a significant amount of weight. The family's been impacted by Covid and couldn't afford to buy him new clothing. Patti and her amazing team of volunteers at Bloomin’ Boutique put together a care package to support his basic needs. Watching him go through his new clothes, hearing the excitement in his voice and seeing the smile on his face was priceless. When he saw there was an RC Charger car he jumped with joy. Mom said, "Please tell her thank you very very very very very much!!! He was so excited he personally wrote Patti and Bloomin’ Boutique a thank you letter! :) Thank you for supporting our youth and community in the Tri-County Area.

Thank you so much for the wonderful packages of clothing, shoes and toys for the youth we serve at DHS Child Welfare. The response from the children receiving the packages has been wonderful. They all truly appreciate the new clothes, shoes and that special item added to each package. One of my kiddos that received a science kit was over the moon. I get texts expressing that the kids are so happy to see clothing that they like and that are new. Bloomin’ Boutique is a great service for the children of Oregon.

I just wanted to follow up and let you know how excited the kids were when I pulled up with their amazing bags of brand new clothes and backpacks. You fulfilled a VERY large family of seven, and my truck was packed full! When I arrived, they all ran outside and helped me bring everything in the living room with such excitement and eagerness to see “what they got”. The youngest one (only 3) was so excited to see all her amazing Pony gifts. They were all so thankful and happy to have been blessed with such an amazing gift right before the school year. The mom followed up with a text that said, “thank you so much for everything, all the kids are so happy and love everything!” So thank you all so much for all of the volunteers and everyone who helps make this an amazing experience for the families that we get to help. We are so grateful for such an amazing resource in our community. You are all amazing!

Patti and the Bloomin’ Boutique staff have been an enormous and valuable community partner to my colleagues and myself. Over my 4 year tenure as a Services Coordinator for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who reside in Clackamas County, without her support, many of the families I have served would have tried to figure out where to find clothing, toiletries, bedding and school supplies from another resource, many coming to a dead end. Often, many families are having to make the hard choice to go without clothing as food, shelter and utilities are the only amenities they have the means to provide under their budget constraints. Patti and her staff excel at processing referrals quickly! Often within 24 hours and always with friendly smiles and a caring attitude. I cannot emphasize enough how tremendous her agency is and how much of a need they serve! In the past two months, they have processed referrals for families below poverty lines, providing much needed goods to families of 5 or more, to families fleeing from domestic violence, to families fleeing from and seeking refuge from the most horrendous types of abuse. No family has been turned away. The quality of goods is remarkable! I feel that without this needed resource, families struggling to cope with daily pressures would reach a breaking point. I am honored to work with such a great community partner.

I am eternally grateful for the time and energy you have put into your program, a program that truly makes a difference in our community. I have referred several students to Bloomin' Boutique this year and not only have you supplied them with basic clothing supplies, every time you and your team have gone above and beyond and supplied them with items that have helped restore dignity and love. Almost all of the students I have referred have had to either move quickly from home, or have moved from place to place and lost cherished items along the way. One of my families lost items in a fire just before Christmas, and your items, multiple bags of clothing and a doll and doll clothes, delighted my student during a difficult time. Another family that I have been working with, a grandma that has taken in five grandchildren, continues to express thanks every time I see them. The grandmother in particular, who is doing everything in her power to provide a safe and loving home, was moved to tears when she saw how much care and respect your program showered that family with. Shoes, socks, clothes, backpacks, school supplies and blankets were all bestowed upon the family and I wish you could have seen their gratitude. Thank you for doing what you do for us.

 I had the honor to experience the wonderful team that makes Bloomin’ Boutique bloom indeed. I took in a kiddo yesterday who is new to OCSLA and to myself. Before we arrived at the Boutique, he was very shy and quiet. He would rarely make eye contact and responded with one word answers. I was concerned that he wasn’t going to speak up for himself and take advantage of the space. However, when he started to find clothing he really liked, he started to open up. He came to me and asked my opinion on what he chose and if I thought it would look good on him. He was smiling and laughing; he was starting to feel comfort able with me and the team. I learned more about his hobbies and passions during his time there than I would have in any other situation. This kid brought us to tears with his respect, his excitement and with how he was proud to be there. I am so excited to continue my relationship with Bloomin’ Boutique. Thank you for all you do!

“ Excitement washed over my 13-year-old and she was smiling so big as she went through her lot. It was very thoughtful to provide an abundance of feminine hygiene products. Those products are surprisingly expensive, and she likes to be well prepared for things like that! She also loved the ombre Converse that match perfectly to a shirt she got for Christmas. My 5-year-old was thrilled to see Paw Patrol rain boots and a backpack full of supplies we can use for homeschooling. The baby’s bag was great too! He loved his little sneakers and now has plenty of tops and bottoms to get us through for a long time! Please let the donor know how much this means to me and my kiddos. Raising them on my own during a pandemic has proved to be a challenge. I wish they had another parent to bear the load of providing but sadly addiction has taken that opportunity from us for now. Things like this remind me that I am not alone. Thank you so much. I cannot wait until I can pour back into my community in ways like this. With gratitude.