Helping empower Tasmanian women with our Friday Fundraising
Dress for Success Hobart was the focus of our most recent Friday Fundraising campaign, and we were delighted to welcome CEO Amanda French to our office to receive the large $1000 cheque, which was handed over by WLF Partner (and recent Dress for Success donor) Marg Marshall.
An affiliate of Dress for Success Worldwide, Dress for Success Hobart is all about empowering Tasmanian women to achieve economic independence through a range of support services.
If you’re a regular Facebook ‘scroller’ you’ve probably seen the interview and employment styling service offered by Dress for Success – where women can access professional clothing for a job interview. And if they get the job, they can also have a week’s worth of clothing specific to their new career to help get them started with confidence.
However, this is just one of the services on offer.
Dress for Success also provide career support for women wishing to enter / re-enter the workforce, with assistance writing a resume, application letters and putting together job applications. There is also a range of workshops available at no cost, for women looking for work, or looking to up-skill.
Other services offered by Dress for Success include:
- Life Event Styling: assisting with outfits for significant events, which may include graduations, weddings, funerals, or court appearances.
- A program providing a backpack of essentials for all women leaving prison, to ensure their personal needs are looked after as they start to re-establish themselves
“We’re still in our start-up phase, and developing our base and networks” says CEO, Amanda. “So to receive a call from WLF saying staff wanted to make a contribution to the work we do was really wonderful.”
“Dress for Success operates at a grass roots level right across Tasmania, working with women to empower them, building their skills and their confidence.”
“And to see the difference in our clients when they walk through the door to let us know they’ve been offered the job, or completed a training course, is so satisfying. We all know that feeling of pride when we succeed in something – we feel valued and we walk just a bit taller.”
“Our team at Dress for Success help make this happen every day, and we get to see and share in the success stories. I feel very fortunate to be working in a role that allows me to help contribute to other women’s progress in such a valuable way. I also know that this success is only possible because of the generosity of the Tasmanian people and businesses, such as WLF, who have been supporting us since we started up.”
We have been working with Amanda and her team for some time, but the day of the cheque handover was Amanda’s first time in our office. Coincidentally one of our staff was in the foyer as she arrived, and mentioned that she had been a client of Dress for Success when she was looking to move in a new career direction.
“The program at Dress for Success was incredibly helpful,” says Sarah, who joined WLF almost a year ago.
“I was looking to move into the corporate sector, so having someone to provide guidance on developing my CV and talk me through tips on interviews really made a big difference. I was able to walk into the interview feeling confident in my skills and ability, knowing I could do the job.”
“Sometimes when you’re looking to do something new, you just need a bit of support to help you on your way and point out that you do have the skills and experience”.
Sarah is a great example of the positive outcomes that Dress for Success are achieving for women: clearly she interviewed well, got the job and has now been part of the WLF team for almost 12 months.
Image: Amanda and Sarah at the Dress for Success boutique