Shakopee student who opened nonprofit clothing boutique named one of Minnesota's top youth volunteers

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Grace Myler and her mom opened a permanent Threads for Teens boutique in Shakopee, Minnesota.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Shakopee High School senior who started her own nonprofit clothing boutique for teenage girls in need recently received one of the nation’s top community service awards for youth.

Grace Myler, 18, of Shakopee and Addison Loerzel, 14, of Moorhead were named Minnesota’s top two youth volunteers of 2020 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

Myler opened the Minnesota location of Threads for Teens with her mom after seeing a commercial for the nonprofit on Disney Channel. The boutique, located inside the Shakopee school district office building, provides new clothing, shoes, accessories and personal care items to teenage girls in need across the state.

Permanent Threads for Teens location offers style for girls

You wouldn't often think of school district offices as the place for a girls' clothing boutique, but that's exactly what's happening in Shakopee, where a little extra space is making a big difference for at risk girls.

According to a news release, Myler spends much of her time raising money and finding clothing companies to donate clothing to the boutique. She also works with county social workers and school districts across the state to identify girls in need to come shop in the store.

Threads for Teens, located in the Shakopee school district office building, is a nonprofit boutique offering a shopping experience for teenage girls in need. (FOX 9)

Since 2016, the boutique has hosted more than 1,000 shopping appointments.

Loerzel, the middle level state honoree for the award, is an eighth grader at Horizon Middle School East Campus. Since 2013, she has operated a cupcake stand that raises money for the Sunshine Foundation, which serves children facing serious challenges. She makes more than 3,000 cupcakes each year.

Both Myler and Loerzel will each receive $1,000 and a four-day trip to Washington, D.C. in May, where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia.

During the trip, 10 students will be named America’s top youth volunteers of 2020.