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The right clothes for the first job
Non-profit organization that helps low-income women
Dress for Success addresses the "Catch-22" that, without a job, how can you afford a suit? But without a suit, how can you get that job? Non-profit organization that helps low-income women The association is a non-profit organization that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has an interview and a second suit when she gets the job. Women are referred to Dress for Success by a continually expanding number of diverse, non-profit member organizations which include homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, job training programs and English as a second language programs. Since being founded in 1996, the organization has opened in over 50 cities and suited over 20,000 clients around the world. Nancy Lublin, founder and executive director, founded Dress for Success while a full-time student at New York University School of Law. In Spring 1996, she inherited $5,000 from her great-grandfather (Poppy Max) who immigrated here at the turn of the last century. She wanted to honor his memory, so she contacted three nuns in Spanish Harlem and together they founded Dress for Success New York, the first Dress for Success program.
How can you pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have boots? She says: "How can you pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have boots? By giving women the chance to present themselves professionally, I believe we are empowering them to take control of their destinies. These suits symbolize our faith in every woman's ability to succeed." The organization hosts an annual “clean out your closet week” which involves a week of suit drives, events and parties help raise awareness and donations of interview suits. Clothing drives and individual contributions bring in better business attire that fills the round racks crowding the Dress for Success office. Here, among other pieces, are Eileen Fischer, DKNY and Jones New York suits, sized 2 through l6. "We really need the larger sized suits," notes co-director Barbara Attridge.
Corporate contributions fill shop wardrobe gaps Corporate contributions fill shop wardrobe gaps: Nine West supplies shoes; Coach provides shoes, boots and bags; and Avon provides jewelry, cosmetics and hosiery. And as part of their Fashion Takes Action program, Sears Roebuck & Co. recently contributed $10,000 to a local organization - as part of a $100,000 overall contribution to the national organization, as well as 3,000 suits to the national headquarters. The big welfare-to-work push has left many women in transition. The biggest problems aren't the much talked-about transportation or child care issues, but depression and loneliness, which may lead to job loss, Ms Lublin said. Donations of interview-appropriate attire are always needed. The organization requeststhat all donations be in excellent condition and ready for use (i.e., laundered and ironed, or dry-cleaned and pressed, whichever is appropriate). They accept only clean, contemporary, interview-appropriate suits (that is, matching blazers with skirts or pants) and the blouses that go with them. During the winter months, they also acceptcoats in good condition that can be worn on an interview.
This community service site is sponsored by www.goodstaff.com
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