This Week's Challenge: Dress for Success

This week's challenge is a follow-up from last week's challenge, Cleaning Out Your Closets.  Perhaps you have not had time to complete last week's task yet, but if you did I give you a big congratulations. This week is a quick one.  Simply go through your closet and pick out one or two professional suits that you do not wear anymore and donate these items to your local Dress for Success program.

The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Founded in New York City in 1997, Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help their clients find jobs and remain employed. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work.

Since 1997, Dress for Success has served more than 550,000 women around the world. Each year they reach more than 50,000 women in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Mexico, Poland and the West Indies. All Dress for Success organizations are not-for-profit entities, with Dress for Success Worldwide and its U.S. affiliates having 501(c)(3) charitable status and those outside the U.S. operating as registered charities. Clothing donations and financial contributions made to Dress for Success affiliates within the U.S. are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

To suit their clients in style, Dress for Success currently accepts new or nearly-new and cleaned:

Coordinated, contemporary, interview-appropriate skirt and pant suits
Beautiful, crisp blouses
Gorgeous blazers and jackets
Professional shoes 

Dress for Success is particularly in need of larger-size suits and apparel.
Sorry, they cannot use:

• Suits and dresses that are not interview-appropriate
• Sportswear or casual clothes
• Evening wear
• Jewelry
• Belts
• Used cosmetics
• Used pantyhose
• Men's clothing

To be sure that suits or accessories you wish to give to Dress for Success are appropriate, ask yourself whether you would feel comfortable wearing them on a job interview. If the answer is yes, then the clothing would be perfect for a woman taking her first step towards self-sufficiency!
To donate your interview-appropriate apparel, contact the Dress for Success affiliate nearest you.

Dress for Success is an international non-profit organization.

The holidays are always a busy time of year for everyone, but remember that sometimes the simplest gestures can prove to have the greatest results and that's what we are trying to do here at The Compassion Fashion Project.