sms rss Email Wireless iPhone App

visit WSU online!

Dress for Success


Last Update: 10/21 10:17 am
Print Story |
Set Text Size SmallSet Text Size MediumSet Text Size LargeSet Text Size X-Large
WICHITA, Kansas – Creating a professional image can be hard, especially if you don’t have the money. But a charity is helping local women one business suit at a time.

When the national economy takes a downward turn, Wichita’s local businesses are often forced to lay off employees. Getting a good, sustainable job becomes competitive. Dress for Success Wichita is a non-profit organization that prepares low-income women to contend for those jobs.

“We start first of all with a great interview outfit for them to wear when they start getting calls to for employment,” said Pat Jones, executive director of Dress for Success.

There is a lot of beautiful clothing in the boutique, but Dress for Success is not just about getting women into the right outfit to get a job. It's about training, it's about putting together a resume, getting the job, sustaining the job, growing in the job and finally becoming a community leader. So they're always going to need donations of fine clothing, but even more important is sustaining the programs through active community financial support.

“We work very hard to meet our budget every year and we continue to serve the women that come to our doors,” Jones said.

Primary operating expenses are covered through fundraising efforts like the Boo and Brew Bash each October, the Sisterhood of the Devine Makeover event, the Kansas Women of Distinction book and many corporate and individual donations. Their annual budget exceeds $200,000.

Dress for Success serves about 700 clients each year. And with this economy, that number could grow by 20 to 30 percent.

“I anticipate that as the economy continues to deteriorate and we see more people laid off that the need for our services is going to increase,” Jones said.

Fortunately, the economy is cyclical. This too shall pass, but the need for services to help low-income women grow in the workplace will probably always exist. The women find that they are not alone and those who succeed help others in the pipeline.

The Boo and Brew Bash is this Saturday, October 24th at the Beech Activity Center. For tickets, call 945-8779 of click on Newslinks for more information.
Add a Comment
Add Video Comment
(0) Comments









Cooperative Education & Work-Based Learning
Wichita State University's Cooperative Education & Work-Based Learning Program partners with nearly 500 organizations like yours to fill positions with qualified WSU student employees. As one of the largest cooperative education and internship programs in Kansas, we can assist you in meeting your hiring needs.
  This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital.