16-year-old Allyson Ahlstrom of Santa Rosa, Calif., wasn't satisfied with the idea of underprivileged teen girls settling for wearing used clothing from a thrift shop. At an age when outward pressures can easily threaten a girl's self esteem, she should be able to look her best and take pride in her appearance.

That's why Allyson created Threads for Teens, a clothing boutique that gives girls in need a confidence-booster when they walk out the door with two brand new head-to-toe outfits. Girls ages 13-17 visit the store and shop for items they need at no cost.

This month she was named one of 15 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes and awarded $10,000 in cash and a $7,500 educational scholarship for her outstanding work.

To fulfill the mission of Threads for Teens, Allyson has raised $140,000 in cash and new clothing from stores like Hot Topic, and recruited 30 volunteers to help with the shop, including Girl Scouts who receive awards for volunteerism.

She didn't stop with clothes, donating more than 70 backpacks filled with school supplies in her 2nd Annual Back-To-School Backpack Event.

The slogan that guides her 501(c-3) is from St. Francis of Assisi: "For it is in giving that we receive".

Allyson joins 4 boys and 10 other girls, all remarkable youth from the United States and Canada named as 2012 Huggable Heroes, who have demonstrated outstanding community leadership and service.

Worth Sharing will feature one of these Heroes each day over the next two weeks on our Great Kids page.