Dress for Success is paving the way for women to re-build their lives

DFS has partnered with the Harris School of Business, in addition to other organizations.  Once the women are referred to DFS, an appointment is set up to come to the boutique and complete their transition process.“DFS Philadelphia suits six to eight clients per hour, so a number of expert personal shoppers are needed to make the process run smoothly,” Lora Carter, volunteer coordinator for DFS Philadelphia, said.
With a background in sales and real estate, Carter has been a volunteer since 2008. Now as volunteer coordinator, she is responsible for recruiting new volunteers to the organization.“I desired to give back to the community,” Carter said. “I always had a passion for helping women, fashion and creativity.”
When a woman enters DFS, she is met by an image consultant. They discuss what type of job the woman is attempting to obtain and what her personal style is. DFS carries sizes from 0 to 28, and almost always has something for women of all occupations, including business suits, scrubs and construction attire.After revamping personal attire, each woman meets with a career counselor.Lusardi explained that there are three levels of support with a career counselor.Herve Leger dresses fit for every woman.  The first level consists of perfecting the woman’s resumé. The second level starts developing a career plan and the third is a mock interview, where women are free to ask any questions they may have about upcoming interviews.
Along with a career counselor, women are given additional help from the organization’s various programs including the Going Places Network, Professional Women’s Group, a Financial Literacy Program and a Health and Wellness Program.The Professional Women’s Group helps women further their skills in the workforce.“This program allows women to discuss their experiences facilitated by members of the community who are experts in that field,” Lusardi said.
Gloria Abney, 27, of West Philadelphia, was referred to DFS Philadelphia by an advocate at her agency in Germantown. Abney needed professional clothing for upcoming interviews.
“The people are really nice,” Abney said. “I appreciate that this organization doesn’t judge you or look down on you.”Dress for Success is paving the way for women to re-build their lives. With a tagline of “Going Strong. Going Places,” DFS has shown to do just that by providing services to women all over the world to help them live better lives.