Q: I caught the end of a tv spot on Dress for Success. Is this about coordinating outfits?
A: Dress for Success is a global nonprofit founded by Nancy Lublin when she was 23 and attending law school, according to www.fromscratchradio.com.
The organization assists low-income women seeking to enter or re-enter the workforce to end the cycle of poverty and gain self worth.
Their mission is “to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and in life,” according to their web site.
Susan Bonds-McCulloch, the executive director of Dress for Success in Atlanta, said, “DFS [Atlanta] was started by Deborah Wolf. As she was interviewing ladies, she realized that they may not have the clothes to present themselves well and began dressing them from her closet and eventually expanded to those of her friends.”
The ladies coming into DFS are told by their community partner they will get clothes for an interview. Two head-to-toe outfits are provided for the interview and once a job has been obtained, they can get up to five complete ensembles.
“Each woman that walks in our doors is greeted by name and made to feel welcome,” said Bonds-McCulloch. Intake packets are given to complete and a portfolio about two programs: Going Places Network (GPN) for those having problems landing a job and Professional Networking Group (PWG) that continues to strengthen those employeed.
“What they get exceeds the attire part,” said Bonds-McCulloch. “It’s an operation that helps uplift, empower and inspire women. Not just dress them. Outfitting is such a small percentage of what we do, but to house the suiting program is one of our biggest costs.”
The recently expanded Virginia Phillip Career Center includes job postings and resources, laptops, paper and printers where they can work on their resumes, look for jobs, have mock interviews and write thank-you notes.
Bonds is in the process of creating a more comprehensive career center partnering with other companies in the community to provide assistance under the umbrella of career coaching and counseling.
The organization serves about 9,000-1,200 women a year and are primarily African-American, according to Bonds-McCulloch.
While they are within the MARTA footprint, she estimates only 20% return to capitalize on the career assistance.
“When you think about where the people are that need the services, a lot of them have a really hard time physically getting to us,” said Bonds-McCulloch. “My goal is to be able to purchase a mobile unit.
There is a lot that goes into making DFS what it is. “So much of what we do and provide is unseen,” she said. Each woman is different. “We tell them they may not be where they want to be today, but we tell them they can do it.”
DFS is located at 6255 Barfield Road, Suite 155, Atlanta, Georgia 30328 **located on the lower level of the GT Software building** (404-589-1177).
For more information, visit https://atlanta.dressforsuccess.org
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