Dress for Success South Central PA

Happy New Year South Central PA!

2012-01-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

We are ready to "rock n roll" with the new year! Preparing to energize our committees and planning for a great new year is our current focus. We are excited about all the fantastic support from our 2012 Event Opportunity Guide that went out to local businesses & corporations during the summer of 2011.
Take a look and see what you might be interested in supporting from our 2012 Event Opportunity Guide. Our event sponsors are already committing for 2012 and include QVC, The Hershey Company, PCCi, Fredericksburg Dental Center, Susquehanna Bank, PNC Bank, York Traditions Bank, The BonTon, YTI Technical Institute, McNees Wallace & Nurick, McConkey Insurance and Benefits, Erie Insurance & Highmark. Corporations like Verizon, WalMart are interested in our program delivery and are providing grant funding.

Do you want something special to do for the Oscars this year? Kiss and Makeup are holding the Oscar Gala. Learn more about this red carpet event.

Find out how you can get involved with our organization by following us on Twitter & Facebook!

Our Clients Share Their Thoughts on 9-11

2011-09-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Despite having to shut down our office in Harrisburg due to the flooding, a few of our clients braved the storm and were able to share their thoughts on 9-11. (Names are witheld to protect their privacy).

One of our clients lived in Ohio at the time and remembers praying for all the victims and their families as she watched the news in horror.

Another client was a high school student at the time, living in San Diego, CA. The most important lesson she's learned from the events of 9-11 are, "Never take life for granted. Enjoy every day like it's your last, because you never know when it's your time to go."

Wise words to live by.

Some clients shared their hope that our country would hold onto the "United We Are" attitude to help us remain strong.
While others feel that our country fell apart and became filled with more discrimination. Some feel that our nation is in need of a lot of improvements.

However, there was one thing everyone agreed upon:

The heroic first responders, who deserve our gratitude and respect for their service to our nation, especially on that day.
A day that will never be forgotten. A day that lives on in all of our memories.

Peace be with you all.

Dress for Success Clients Remember 9/11

2011-09-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

"The most important lesson I learned from the events of 9-11 is that even though Arabs were being held responsible for the attacks, I don't believe all of the Arabs are bad, or that we should treat them any different. We're all people."

"My initial thought was of a family member who worked in the Twin Towers. She went to work that day, but turned around to go back home after she got there, because her husband had asked her to take the day off. That saved her life."

B.P. - Dress for Success South Central PA client, PWG member and volunteer.

September 6, 2011

In Remembrance of September 11, 2001

2011-09-06T08:41:00.001-07:00

* Names are withheld to respect the confidentiality and privacy of our clients *

The most important lesson I learned from 9-11 was, "Never take life for granted. Enjoy every day like it's your last, because you never know when it's your time to go."

"I thank our nation's first responders for all their hard work and thank God for people like them everyday."

M.B.
Dress for Success South Central PA Client
September 6, 2011

In Remembrance of September 11, 2001

2011-09-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

This week, Dress for Success South Central PA is sharing our clients stories and reflections on the events of 9-11.

Follow our blog to learn how the tragic events of September 11th shaped their world view and changed their lives.

One Pearl at A Time

2011-09-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

"The oyster turns into pearl the sand which annoys it." - Sidney Newton Bremer.

When a pearl oyster is invaded by a foreign matter, its natural defense mechanism is not to rid the invader, but instead to turn this unwanted guest into a thing of beauty; thus giving birth to a magnificent pearl.

On September 11, 2001, America was transformed forever after our country was attacked and thousands of innocent people perished. We worked to overcome our grief by uniting and showing compassion towards the victims and their families, and just like an oyster, we healed our wounds by turning our pain and discomfort into a shining example of hope and survival.

Our nation’s first responders, proved firsthand this country’s ability to turn a tragic event into a testament of our nation’s strength and courage. If there was ever a time when we showed courage under fire, the fateful day of September 11, was that day.

In honor of all the victims and heroes of 9-11, our clients at Dress for Success South Central PA will reflect upon the 10th anniversary of that tragic day and pay tribute to the countless men and women who demonstrated not only courage under fire, but more importantly grace under fire. Our clients have also faced great adversity, yet shown remarkable courage. In honor of their firm resolve to improve the quality of their lives, we are presenting them each with fresh water pearls; A reminder of their own resilience and transformation.

Dawn Hicks, a veteran of the United States Army and winner of the Mrs. Pennsylvania International 2011 pageant came to our boutique today to present our clients with the symbolic gift of pearls. Dawn resides in Hanover, PA with her husband and their two children. Mrs. Hicks works with Wounded Warriors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving injured veterans of wars, and we are thrilled to have her attend our 9-11 tribute.

Dress for Success South Central PA is a resource for military service women who re-enter the workforce, and has provided several veterans with interview suits in the past. For this reason, Dress for Success South Central PA is pleased to have the support of such a valuable member of our community.

At Dress for Success South Central PA, we are constantly striving to expand our mission of promoting economic independence in disadvantaged women. Our clients use the skills and resources we offer to better provide for their children, and help alleviate the economic struggles of their spouses and loved ones.
Our doors are always open to visitors and volunteers who wish to support our mission.

Our Clients. Going Places. Going Strong. One Pearl at A Time.

Dress for Success South Central PA: Funding was restored!

2011-08-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Dress for Success South Central PA: Funding was restored!: "Thanks to everyone for supporting our efforts to educate the new administration about our successful cost saving methods of helping women mo..."

Funding was restored!

2011-08-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for supporting our efforts to educate the new administration about our successful cost saving methods of helping women move from welfare to work. Our organization continues to be a community effort to bring about change. The fact that we have helped the Commonwealth save millions of dollars is wonderful. We are happy to be a partner with the Department of Welfare to help women gain financial stability through employment. Our goal is to help 2,000 women this year with our various programs and services.

CPAFE Supports Dress for Success South Central PA

2011-05-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Act Now to Restore Funding for Dress for Success South Central PA and other PA WorkWear Funded Programs
Dear friends of Dress for Success South Central PA,
Many of you were at the CPAFE monthly meeting this week and heard a strong appeal from Ruth Koup of Dress for Success - a call to action to contact our legislators in an effort to restore the funding line item that supports the PA WorkWear budget. Dress for Success South Central PA, along with other statewide organizations, uses the PAWW funding to serve needy women in 66 Pennsylvania counties - six of which are supported by Dress for Success South Central PA. The programs funded by PAWW provide so much more than just a suit - transforming lives and providing access to volunteers, computers, job training and mentoring! I am only one of thousands of women that know the value of these programs and support the funding of PAWW.On behalf of the CPAFE Board of Directors, we've created multiple ways for you to get involved.
1. TELL A FRIEND. Please feel free to contact your friends via email or social media and encourage them to get involved via petition, letter writing, or otherwise.2. SIGN THE PETITION. We have created an online petition available at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/paww-dfs-central-pa/. 3. SEND A LETTER. The petition is also available in letter format so that it can be printed and/or modified and submitted to your local legislators and Governor Corbett as part of a letter-writing campaign.4. SPREAD THE WORD. Did I mention you can spread the word via Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook? Any registered voter in PA who agrees with the petition is encouraged to sign.Information about the petition and letters is presented on the CPAFE front page - www.cpafe.org.THIS IS TIME SENSITIVE as the budget process continues next week. Most importantly, the online petition will be printed on Saturday, with all signatures collected, to ensure delivery to legislators on Monday. If you're going to get involved, PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW.

Please direct any and all questions regarding this to me at jessica72@gmx.com.
Best regards,CPAFE President, Jessica Warren

UPS Delivers more than just parcels

2011-03-10T19:44:00.001-08:00

UPS is test piloting a new hat and gives us the chance to weigh in on this new change to their uniform, this is fashion forward for the well known "brown" uniform. Dress for Success South Central PA gives this fantastic UPS hat a stamp of approval. UPS is dressed for success and the rain! Thanks for the sneak peek. Today he delivered our posters for The Power Walk for Dress for Success which is going to be held at the Hershey Medical Center Walkway on May 7th. Save the date! Our clients, volunteers, supporters, HMC staff and PWG members will be there. Maybe UPS will provide a team or two. Just think, the new hat will be wonderful for the hot sunny days too. Will this rain ever stop.

Our clients are excited about our job retention program!

2011-03-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

The PWG, Professional Women's Group, is growing each month. We not only have phenomenal speakers but we are giving out incentives that are certain to help our clients stay employed. We have helped them with access to free flash-drives (for their resumes and letters), more professional clothing for their current employment and/or career move to another position, just to mention a few of the items. We gave out over 50 designer coats last month and with this cold winter it was welcomed by all! We are excited that each month we have speakers that provide more than just a lecture, they provide guidance, support, insight and motivation. Our clients feel safe to ask questions. They are encouraged every step of the way.

Lots happening in the 2011 for our Clients

2011-01-24T23:02:00.001-08:00

We launched the new year with our very first 2011 PWG event in Harrisburg that featured our new relationship with Best Buy. Our speaker, from the Geek Squad, provided vital information for our clients about internet safety. We all learned so much! We gave our clients new leather purses, new flash drives for their resumes and free flu shots. We had 25 attendees! York and Lebanon also had a great start to the new year with 16 more women attending those events. Our PWG members are anxious to hear more about the uncoming mentoring program, Pathway for Success. The PWG member applications are all in and we are in the process of matching clients to the mentors. Other PWG clients will be excited about our new offering of the Book Club! 2011 is off to a great start!

Update

2010-11-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

We had over 50 representatives attend our Annual Agency Meeting on Nov 3! Our collaboration is making a difference in the lives of many women in South Central PA.
We were excited that one of our clients was able to be our first collaboration with a Smiles for Success Program. She received an incredible make-over, new teeth, new outfit, new hair style and a new lease on life. We are so excited for her bright outlook on her future.
Fabulous WOW event in York. Fantastic Coffee and exceptional YTI desserts!
Our inventory reduction was successful in helping to raise some funds. We were able to distribute thousands of items of clothing to women that attending the free clothing event this past Saturday.
Our PWG is getting ready for their Annual Brianna Lasure PWG Workshop. The health and wellness theme is our new focus for 2011. Looking forward to a healthy new year for 2011!
Cosmopolitan Affair was a fun event with our client highlighting the event with her inspirational success story.
Looking forward to our very first Solo Quarter Auction. We are spearheading the very first upscale quarter auction in our area with wonderful venue, food, vendor items and our DFS twist and a local craze...nothing like a DFS Girls Night Out. Come out and join us. Visit our event page to get all the details.

Annual Referral Agency Meeting November 3rd

2010-10-27T02:46:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to meet with our Referral Agency partners on November 3. Each year we meet with our partners to share our plans for 2011 and to let new agency liaisons learn more about our organization. We collaborate with over 80 job training and job ready programs.
We look forward to this each year!

Getting ready for our inventory reduction sale!

2010-10-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well it is getting cold and it means we need to make room for more donations. Our inventory reduction is coming up soon. Save the last weekend in October!

2010-09-27T05:35:00.001-07:00

Our clients were a huge hit at the Dress for Success South Central PA Gala last Friday. They rocked the CAbi fashions! Many thanks go out to the numerous volunteers, including representation from the Banana Republic that volunteered for the evening. We had great support from our local lia sophia advisor & gala swag bag sponsor, Debbie Kepics, who donated jewelry to our clients so they had just the right pieces to match their cocktail dresses for the event. She also provided the "bling" for the evening by adorning each mannequin and every fashion model in the show with lia sophia jewelry. Our attendees all went home with a swag bag that included a lia sophia piece of jewelry & a $20 off coupon from Classic Drycleaners among the other various items included for our attendees to enjoy...chocolate from The Hershey Company!! Awesome! Our thanks to the Mad Hatter Company Productions for the great music and the Lions Club for the fun Casino Night games. We are already planning for next year.

Yes, July is a hot month...but really this was extreme.

2010-07-27T19:02:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy & really hot month at Dress for Success South Central PA. All three of our air conditioners died and were eventually replaced. We thank our volunteers that "weathered" this trying time and continued to volunteer without complaining. We thank you all! We hope to get the final air conditioner installed soon....however, the supply and demand factor has made it impossible to locate a new 35,000 btu unit. Today we had volunteers from Champion (windows and patio rooms) who fixed our broken window. Thank you Champion!

More Client QVC Quotes

2010-06-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

L said...."I really enjoyed the QVC trip. I've never experience such a very professional family of workers in my life. Everyone seem to be very serious about what they do, even down to the models. I found that to be a very respectable company, in which to work for. I've even been watching more of QVC itself and ordering the merchandise. Thank you again for such a enjoyable trip."

"QVC now stands for the Quality evening provided to us where we were Valued and empowered on our visit and lastly C for their generous support to the Community and Commitment to DFS by providing such a phenomenal evening for all. I’m especially grateful to Bobbi Brown and Chaz Dean for their kind and generous souls." says D

"To have a nationally know organization like QVC reach out and support the mission of Dress for Success is huge. The trip was great, the hospitality was tremendous, the staff made us fell very welcomed and special. All in all it was a great experience. As a client of Dress for Success and a member of the Professional W omen's Group it just makes me feel very proud to be a part of the organization and be able to know that DFS is their for anyone who would need their services. If you want to use this fine and if not fine again. But, thank you and QVC again for making the trip possible." LA S

PWG Members speak out about their experiences at QVC!

2010-05-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Dress for Success South Central PA's PWG Members share their testimonials about the QVC event.

AC says: "The QVC trip was so much fun. From the moment we stepped on the bus till we got back there was so much positive energy. The tour was wonderful. The staff very informative and hospitable. Zoe's story was so what the program represents."

TD says: "This was an opportunity, I could not miss. By the time I arrived home is was 1:30 a.m. and my graduation from Community college was at 1:30 p.m. This trip was amazing, truly amazing I was running on adrenaline !!"

DA says: "I felt QVC treated us like VIPs from the moment of our arrival to our departure. It was a great experience I will never forget. Many thanks to QVC and to Dress for Success."

Golf Networking Event for women!

2010-05-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

47 women gathered today at our 2nd annual golf clinic. What fun! Some of our attendees were back for another round of lessons. All were delighted with our addition of the afternoon scramble to practice their skills. We plan to do this event again next year ....so plan on the Sunday before Memorial Day to get out and practice/learn more about golf. Thank you to all the donors of the raffle items. Our thanks to Classic Drycleaners for the water sponsorship.

Dress for Success & QVC

2010-05-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Dress for Success South Central PA's Women of Wardrobe supporters, Board Members, Staff & PWG members (client job retention program participants) had the time of their lives mixing and mingling with Dress for Success Philadelphia representatives, Dress for Success Worldwide Staff, QVC celebrities, employees and QVC Vendors. 2000 QVC employees participated in an awesome "Finishing Touches" accessory drive that will benefit Dress for Success South Central PA and Dress for Success Philadelphia. QVC hosted a wonderful event that included a behind the scenes tour, networking dinner and a live audience experience for the DFS representative. We are delighted that QVC has embraced our mission. We thank QVC, along with Bobbi Brown, Chez Dean, Bradley Bayou and many other for the support and encouragement and ..... the gift bags were fantastic. THANK YOU!

Changes at Dress for Success South Central PA

2010-05-08T01:55:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 7th, was a bitter sweet day at Dress for Success South Central PA as we said our final goodbyes to Cyndi, our Boutique Coordinator at our Harrisburg office, after 2.5 years with our program. Her coworkers/friends said their goodbyes at a wonderful gathering in her honor and volunteers/friends shared her favorite cake at the boutique. She came to us as a client with a passion of wanting more in her life. We watched as she got married, grew in her knowledge of our program, completed her education in Medical Coding and walked out our door a different person ready to start in her new career. We are so proud of Cyndi and all her accomplishments and her contribution to Dress for Success South Central PA. We will miss her wonderful personality and compassionate approach to life. She is a shining example of what we do at Dress for Success South Central PA. We wish you well Cyndi!

Dress for Success moves out the old and in with the new.

2010-04-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

The community responded to our inventory reduction! Over 300 bags of clothing went out the door with women that needed a boost to their wardrobe and some just looking for a great bargain. Not to worry...our clients will be selecting from new inventory that was donated by Dress Barn, Mary Kay and other retailers. We are so fortunate to have such great support. Thank you to everyone for helping us with our mission.

AXA delivers "glitter with a scent of spring"!

2010-04-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you to AXA for the fantastic jewelry and "scent" (perfume, soaps, creams & makeup) donations. Our volunteers were so impressed as they loaded the shelves with this great corporate drive/donation. Our clients are going to be so excited to receive such wonderful items. The jewelry is awesome! Many, many thanks!!

2010-03-27T04:16:00.001-07:00

Our York Annual Breakfast was fantastic and raised over $3400 for our organization! Thank you to our York Committee for their hard work! How appropriate for our theme this year to be "Women & Change ~2010". York Mayor, C. Kim Bracey, our keynote speaker, shared her passion for York and its bright future! Our client, Ana Forshee, did a wonderful job of helping the breakfast attendees understand her journey. She started out with Dress for Success South Central PA as a volunteer, then she experienced the downsizing trend, her subsequent long search for employment. Eventually the need for our program services resulted in support that she needed to cope and to move forward. Ana has been selected to represent our Professional Women's Group members at the upcoming Leadership Summit Conference in Chicago this summer.

Shout out to our friends in Hershey that held an event on the same day and raised over $3000 for our organization. Thank you! Photos from both events will be on our website very soon.

Our 4th Annual Capital Area Breakfast is on April 14th featuring Senator Pat Vance. Don't miss this opportunity to hear 2 of our clients speak on their experience and how much your support has helped them. Visit our event tab/page and register for this event. We look forward to seeing you there.

2010-03-23T16:39:00.001-07:00

Our PWG members are excited about upcoming events. We are going to QVC in May!

2010-03-04T04:07:00.000-08:00

Dress for Success South Central PA hosted the 2nd PA Dress for Success Affiliate Regional Meeting at the Harrisburg Corporate office. Representatives from all of our sister Dress for Success Affiliates participated in this event. The day long meeting focused on best practices, collaborative events, goal planning for 2011 and a fantastic educational seminar with Catharene Garula about social network marketing.

Spring is on the way

2010-02-28T04:06:00.000-08:00

The snow has been challenging but allowed us to focus on getting our 400 Mary Kay suits distributed to our branch boutiques in York and Lebanon. We are getting ready for Spring regardless of the snow that is swirling around. Our plans to use the "in-kind" lower level space for our upcoming seasonal inventory reduction sale is progressing nicely. Yes, that means we will be painting...again. Let us know if you like to paint and /or if you have a large quantity of paint available to donate.

2010-02-23T01:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had over 30 volunteers from McNees Wallace and Nurick Law Firm helping us with several huge projects. We unpacked 400 new suits (3 pallets) that were donated from MaryKay. Several of the volunteers worked on our new inventory system tagging and entering codes in our RFID system focusing on our medical scrub uniforms. We had a crew cleaning our basement and installing locker locks! We are now getting ready to distribute our new inventory line to each of our branch locations. What a great way to start our week. Thanks!

2010-02-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic Women of Wardrobe event we had this past Saturday at our Harrisburg Boutique. The boutique was a Valentine theme full of red hearts... with lots of chocolate strawberries, scones and various other treats. We previewed the CAbi fashions that will be highlighted at our Gala in September. CAbi fashions are stylish and fun. The CAbi consultant is offering to donate 10% back to Dress for Success South Central PA from local parties booked by our WOW members during our Party for a Cause Campaign. WOW members received NARS eyeshadow and door prizes that included scented oils, candels and fun books about fashion styles. Our Women of Wardrobe are made up of professional women who not only want to support our mission by donating clothing and voluteering time but also contribute financially on an annual basis. Our goal is to add more women to this group in 2010. Visit our website to learn how to become a WOW member. www.southcentralpa@dressforsuccess.org (click corporate guild tab)

Our volunteers help launch "Party For A Cause"

2010-02-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Dress for Success South Central PA's volunteers have been mobilized to launch "Party For A Cause" fundraising campaign. This initiative is drawing on the collaborative strength of our volunteers to network with their own friends to help them learn about our program and to raise funds for our cause. Each party sets a goal of raising awareness and $200 (or more) in funds with a group of 5 to 10 of their personal friends.

"Party For A Cause" is creating excitement in our volunteer ranks....our volunteers are coming up with fantastic ideas....jewelry parties, movie night with their best friends, swap parties....all to help a mission that they feel is important to the community.

Dress for Success South Central PA has invited other Dress for Success Affiliates in Pennsylania to join in for a Statewide volunteer call to action. We are excited to announce that Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Erie are all joining in at this time. We are more than happy that our sister organizations are making this call to action for their volunteers. To learn more and to join our "Party For A Cause" Campaign....click here. We will acknowledge each registered party on our website and in our e-newletter launching in April 2010.

Dress for Success South Central PA Volunteers are "earning" Free Disney Theme Park Tickets

2010-01-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful and wild return from the holidays! Disney has sponsored a campaign that rewards volunteers with a free ticket to a Disney Theme Park for those that volunteer with an approved nonprofit. Dress for Success South Central PA is a partner in the Disney Ticket Volunteer Campaign through the Hands On Network. This campaign provides an incentive for volunteers to learn more about what we do...many are returning to volunteer with our organization on a regular basis. This is very exciting. Thank you Disney for this creative way to generate excitement for volunteerism. Our volunteers can say...we are going to Disneyland!

The Volunteer Kitchen is DONE

2010-01-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well, it took almost a year to complete the volunteer kitchen at the Harrisburg Corporate Office and Boutique. Today we plugged in the coffee pot and it is ready to go first thing in the morning.

Thank you for providing wish list items

2010-01-07T04:31:00.000-08:00

We put out a Holiday Wish List and would like to thank those that responded. We received enough funding to complete our volunteer breakroom project. Thank you to HomeDepot for the refrigerator donation! You are awesome! We hope to be completely finished with this project in just a few weeks. Also, many thanks for the flat screen monitors.

Note: We still need six more for our computer lab.

Holiday Card

2010-01-03T05:40:00.001-08:00

We had many positive comments on our holiday cards. These cards were donated to Dress for Success South Central PA by a donor that thought they were perfect for our organization. We added a vellum page to personalize the card with our mission message. Thank you to our donor!

2009-12-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of the sponsors who helped to make our 2nd Annual Brianna Lasure Professional Women’s Group (PWG) workshop a success! The women of the PWG gained a wealth of knowledge to help them to succeed in life and work. Congratulation go out to our PWG members who received incentives based on their attendance for 2009. A challenge is out for all of our PWG members to attend at least 6 meetings in 2010 to qualify for incentives.

With the impending new year, it is a time to set new goals and focus on how to achieve those goals. For the Harrisburg PWG, our goal is to see our members step it up a notch. To assist with this, the group will experience a few changes. We’re very excited about these changes, and we know our PWG members will benefit greatly from them.

The next PWG event in Harrisburg is on Saturday, January 16, 2010 from 2pm to 3:30pm.
Dress for Success clients that have achieved employment are invited to attend this networking group know as the PWG. We have groups in Harrisburg, York and Lebanon.

Sharing the Holiday Spirit!

2009-12-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Thank you to The FROG and The TOAD in Briarcrest Square! We got your donations today and we were speechless! Your awesome customers responded to your request to donate new makeup and personal care products. We don't normally think of soaps, makeup and creams as luxury items...but they are for our clients. Your kindness generated wonderful gifts to our clients.

Client quote today, "I can't believe it is me. I look like a whole new person!"

Our Career Center is opening soon

2009-12-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

We have been working hard to get all of the things we need to have a wonderful environment for our clients in our Career Center. This is going to be a place where clients can meet with a Career Center volunteer to help them prepare for the interview. The new carpeting is in and we are giving ourselves a few weeks to get the computers set up and ready for use.