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" Recently divorced, struggling to raise three children and facing over $200,000 in debt, hearing-support teacher Sally Power was barely making ends meet. So on her 50th birthday in 2000, the McCandless, Pennsylvania, resident decided to take a risk and buy a local resale clothing boutique in an effort to supplement her income. &amp;quot;I had to take out another $10,000 in loans\u2014it was terrifying, but I was desperate to help my family,&amp;quot; she says.   A Chance Encounter   For a year, Sally tried to turn a profit\u2014but the shop&amp;#039;s debt continued to mount. One day, a woman came into the store and shyly presented a gift certificate the previous owner had provided to a local crisis center. &amp;quot;The woman had just left an abusive relationship and came in with nothing but the clothes on her back,&amp;quot; Sally explains. Sally honored the gift certificate, giving the woman double its worth in clothing, and realized her shop could serve a bigger purpose.   Changing Course   After hearing the story, a friend urged Sally to transform the shop into a nonprofit organization. She did, renaming the store Treasure House Fashions, and began accepting donations to help women who are the victims of domestic violence, facing financial ruin and reentering the workforce. &amp;quot;Through word of mouth and a few ads, we soon had more clothing than space to display it,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;So we had to move to a larger building.&amp;quot;   Helping Women Start Over   Run by volunteers and open five days a week, Treasure House Fashions has helped more than 10,000 women in need. Open to the public, THF covers its operating costs through purchases made by paying customers. And though the shop never helped Sally, who still teaches full-time, get out of debt (she ended up declaring bankruptcy), it has provided her with a new sense of self-worth. &amp;quot;My bank account may not reflect it, but every time I talk to someone we&amp;#039;ve helped, I feel like the richest woman in the world.&amp;quot;   You can help! To donate money to help keep Treasure House Fashions running, visit THFashions.org. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/real-women/a5631/reader-spotlight-a-fashionable-charity-117207/>