  | About Dress for Success OregonThe mission of Dress for Success Oregon 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. Well known as an organization that provides professional clothing, we are also committed to getting low income women’s lives back on track through financial stability, personal growth, career mentoring, job retention skills, education, and support groups. Over 160 human service organizations refer clients to Dress for Success Oregon every year. When a woman gets a job, she has access to a full array of services to help her remain employed and financially viable.
Dress for Success Oregon opened it's doors to the community in 1998. Since then, we have served more than 13,000 women in Multnomah, Clark and Washington Counties. Each year we reach more than 2,000 low-income women in our community. Dress for Success Oregon serves clients by referral only from over 160 local member agencies who send women to us for professional apparel and career development skills. Our clients come to us from a continually expanding and diverse group of non-profit and government agencies including homeless shelters, immigration services, job training programs, educational institutions and domestic violence shelters, among many other organizations. How our program works. On her initial visit a woman receives five wardrobe pieces that are appropriate for the industry in which she is interviewing and, if available, accessories, shoes and a winter jacket. After a woman finds a job she returns to Dress for Success for additional clothing that can be mixed and matched to make several outfits, providing her with the foundation for a professional wardrobe. While we may be best known for providing suits to women, it is our employment retention programs that are the cornerstone of the organization. Soon after Dress for Success was founded we came to recognize that finding work is only one step in a woman's journey towards economic independence. Remaining employed and building a rewarding career are essential if a woman is to become self-sufficient. To meet the need for services that would help women both find and keep jobs, we established the Professional Women's Group (PWG) program, which offers women ongoing support as they successfully transition into the workforce, build thriving careers and prosper in the mainstream workplace. Once a woman joins the PWG she is a member for life, able to attend meetings at any affiliate throughout the world, and can benefit from additional employment retention and mentoring programs. Dress for Success Oregon has also developed a Career Center, an initiative that promotes confidence and professionalism by providing women career guidance, the chance to acquire technology skills and assistance in their job searches. Another way in which Dress for Success Oregon supports women entering or returning to the workforce is through Steps to Success, an initiative that focuses on the crucial first 30 days of employment, during which newly-hired women face many potential challenges. Made possible by the generosity of the National Endowment for Financial Education, the Steps to Success: A Guide to Success in the Workplace publication helps women prepare for their new jobs, identifies barriers they might encounter during their first days and weeks, encourages them to plan for their futures and highlights resources that can assist them during this transition, including the Professional Women's Group. Dress for Success relies on the financial contributions, in-kind donations and volunteer efforts of individuals and companies around the world who are committed to helping women take charge of their lives. Visit our Get Involved page to learn how you can be a part of Dress for Success Oregon. 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. Clothing donations and financial contributions made to Dress for Success affiliates within the U.S. are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
About Dress for Success WorldWide Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes 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. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to more than 110 cities in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the UK and the West Indies. To date, Dress for Success has helped more than 600,000 women work towards self-sufficiency. Visit www.dressforsuccess.org to learn more. |
