[Posted Jan. 30, 2008]

Dress For Success To Hold
2nd Anniversary Luncheon

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

     Dress for Success of Norfolk will celebrate its second anniversary Feb. 2 at a noon luncheon. The keynote speaker is Susan Milhoan, the president/CEO of Retail Alliance.
     Although the organization is known for collecting and distributing business attire to women who are entering or reentering the labor market, the goal of the organization is to create self sufficiency, said Debra Dandridge, who co-founded the organization in Norfolk two years ago with Antionette Haynes.
     “We need more than suits to survive,” Haynes said, pointing to other services which are provided by Dress for Success, located at 645 Church St.
      So, ongoing classes are offered in four basic areas, Dandridge said. Women learn about the written and unwritten rules of the workplace.There are also financial literacy and wealth building classes and seminars.
     “If we can reach that one single mother who heads a household, then we can reach a couple of generations as well,” Haynes explained. “We deal with beyond the suit.”

     

     “We do interview counseling and guide them through job readiness training. We reinforce interviewing skills. Often our clients are not comfortable talking about themselves in a positive light.”
      Dress for Success, which has served 325 women in Hampton Roads since it opened two years ago, has worked closely with Retail Alliance, which provided a $10,000 challenge grant last year.    

    The luncheon’s keynote speaker, Milhoan, who joined Retail Alliance last February as the company’s fifth president and CEO, is actively engaged in diversity efforts throughout Hampton Roads. She has more than 30-years experience in organizational management and public relations.
      Go online to learn more about Norfolk@Dress for Success.org, which is one of many locations nationwide. It has been featured on the “Today” show.
      Moreover, get involved, Dandridge said. To sponsor a business-suit drive, contact the organization which will help to work out the details. Then pick a date for the suit drive.
“Dress for Success makes you feel like a person and feel like you’re going to be a success,” said Clara, whose success story with an Indianapolis branch office is told online. “Every time I got a call for a job, I immediately let them know about it,” said Clara, who now works for the Mayor’s Action Center there, thanks to Dress for Success.
      There are also many success stories in Hampton Roads, Dandridge said. The second anniversary luncheon will focus on the organizations successes and goals. The goal is to increase awareness, she explained. More monetary donations are needed, as well as corporate sponsors.
      To learn more, phone (757) 961-7148.

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