LITTLE ROCK — In this competitive job market, where job-seekers need every possible advantage, what happens to women who have the training and the skills but who can’t afford the right clothes to make a good, professional impression? That’s where Dress for Success stepped in. Until it closed in December 2009.
Now, Maureen Ruggiero, Kerri Michael Sernel and Kelli Reep are leading the charge to bring a branch of the international organization back to Little Rock.
“It’s such a simple mission,” Sernel says. “I thought, well, that’s a valuable resource and it’s so simple. It seems ridiculous that it wouldn’t be here anymore.”
She explains, “Basically, our mission is to help women move to self-sufficiency by providing them with the basic building blocks of a work wardrobe. So many women don’t have that one piece. You’re at a realdisadvantage.”
Dress for Success clients must be referred by a nonprofit organization or a government agency and they must have an interview or a job already lined up.
The client calls to schedule an appointment and then meets with a “personal shopper” who helps her look through the donated clothing to find a suit appropriate for an interview. Once the woman gets a job, she can make a second appointment to choose separates so the suit can be turned into a week’s worth of clothing.
“When we suit these women, they stand differently,” says Ruggiero. “So many have never worn a suit before. They look at themselves and say, ‘Wow.’”
“A suit and a couple of separates will take you a pretty long way,” Sernel points out.
But not all the way.
Reep says, “You’ve gotten to the point where you have gotten the help you neededand worked hard and gotten the training and the job. Now what do you do?”
“When you’re talking about disadvantaged women who’ve never held a job before or maybe they’ve always relied on a spouse or parent, they don’t have the skills,” says Ruggiero.
That’s where the organization’s Professional Women’s Group comes in. This support group meets regularly and helps women with everything from nutrition to budgeting to proper workplace etiquette.
“It’s a balancing act,” says Sernel. “It takes years to develop those skills. Professional women helping to mentor other women really comes in handy.”
Volunteer and board member burnout played a huge part in Dress for Success closing its doors last year. To prevent that fromhappening this time, there will be one adjustment: a paid staff member to oversee day-to-day operations and ease some of the pressures on the board.
Things are rolling right along in preparation for the official reopening at the beginning of July.
“We’ve put the new board in place. We need to contact our member agencies, donors. The idea is to start suiting women as soon as humanly possible,” Sernel says.
Initial community response has been strong and positive, Sernel continues, particularly with people looking to donate clothing.
“A lot of people are ready to clean out their closets.”
Once they’re ready to accept donations, Dress for Success will be looking for “gently used” professional clothing, shoes and accessories. Suits and interview-appropriate attire are the most needed.
They’ll also need volunteers, particularly to help clients sort through the clothesto find the perfect fit.
Work hours can be minimal, variable and adjusted to fit the volunteer’s schedule, says Sernel.
“We’re not talking about a tremendous time investment. But volunteers are going to be essential for how this works.”
Financial support will also be vital. They particularly hope to build a base of sustainable donors who pledge a small amount every month and provide a steady, dependable source of income.
“We would really like to be a presence,” Ruggiero says. “We would really like to see that the communities really benefit from it. We would love to have a corporate sponsor.”
Though the organization only suits women, men aren’t entirely left out of the equation.
Sernel says, “There are a lot of opportunities that men can get involved in and we want to encourage that.”
They have plans that include a clothing van thatcan travel the state, picking up donations and helping clients.
“What we’d ultimately like to do is get a retail space,” explains Reep. “Where people come in and feel like they’re shopping.”
Currently, the shopping space is a small room behind Village Commons on South Main Street. The women believe a real retail space will greatly help when it comes to increasing clients’ confidence.
“A woman will come in and you’ll suit her and you’ll know she looks great,” says Reep. “She’s standing there nervous and just not sure. And we say, ‘You’re wearing a $600 suit.You go in to that interview and hold your head up.’”
The new Dress for Success headquarters will be in the back room of Village Commons, 1423 S. Main St. Donations can be mailed to Dress for Success Little Rock, P.O. Box 56793, Little Rock, Ark. 72215. For more information e-mail littlerock@dressforsu ccess.org.
High Profile, Pages 37 on 06/20/2010