When Jeanette from Brookhaven suddenly found herself without a home, she knew she needed to find a job to support herself and her son. The only problem was that she didn’t have a dress she could wear for job interviews. That’s where Dress for Success Brookhaven stepped in.
“Quite to my astonishment, I was treated with courtesy, kindness, and respect,” she said.
Dress for Success Worldwide is a not-for-profit organization based in New York City that offers women opportunities to get access to clothing they can wear in professional settings. Their first affiliate happened to be in Brookhaven. Jeannette had a great experience when it came to how she was treated.
“Jessie understood what I was saying and went out of her way to suit me appropriately,” she said. “Unlike other individuals of recent experience, she encouraged me in my goals, rather than telling me I was reaching too high and should look for something more realistic, like a retail store or food-chain position.”
A unique aspect of the Brookhaven chapter is that they not only provide a week’s worth office attire, gratis, but they also meet with women individually to provide them with advice and support on how to grow as professionals.
“Jessie made me feel like a person again, not just a lazy government recipient, which is how most people I had encountered were treating me at the time,” Jeanette added.
Dress for Success also looks out for its clients even after they are hired. They have a Professional Women’s Group, where clients can meet once a month and discuss their experiences.
“The program offers this logical resource to struggling women after they procure employment,” said Jeanette.
Nancy Lublin started Dress to Success as a whole in 1996 in a church basement. Her hope was to achieve economic independence for all women.
More than 5,000 women have utilized the services of Dress for Success Brookhaven, and more than 2,000 have taken advantage of its Career Center since 2010. That Career Center expanded into an EDGE job readiness program, a six-week-long program that is open to both unemployed and underemployed women.
Jobs are also available at the chapter. Those who are willing to help women succeed in their professional goals can be hired. There is currently a need for volunteers.
Dress for Success Brookhaven is also encouraging people to contribute to keep the chapter going. This includes donating money and/or clothes. They accomplish this through events such as donation drives.
“Dress for Success can turn their lives into a true success story,” said Jeanette. “Giving them the attire — to pursue that opportunity they may have once thought untenable.”
