Inspired by: Dress for Success

We talk a lot about clothing here at the Parkers blog. Sometimes, we’re talking about a lily white ball gown for a wedding or a leather jacket for a night out in the city or maybe even a snowsuit to keep you warm during the last few snowfalls.

But clothing can have an entirely different meaning when it becomes a barrier between a woman and her ability to secure a job to provide for her family. This is the problem that the incredible people at Dress for Success are solving. They give women the resources they need to be able to put on a professional outfit they feel great in and confidently pursue a career in their chosen field.

The organization has been around since 1996 and currently includes 140 affiliates in 21 countries! Over 950,000 women have had access to Dress for Success’ many resources and have benefitted from the thousands of volunteers donating their time and clothing. We had the privilege of helping by dry cleaning some of the donated clothing recently and cannot speak highly enough about the people at Dress for Success.

If you’d like to join us in helping, there are lots of ways to get involved:

Donate clothing

If you have any new or gently worn professional clothing or unopened toiletries, you can drop them off at 3rd Floor Boutique, 188 Lowther Ave, Toronto. Anything you would wear to a job interview is great, but they also have a more detailed list of what they’re looking for here.

Volunteer

There are a ton of ways to help out whether you’re a makeup artist and can teach ladies how to rock a professional look or an entire office able to conduct mock interviews for practice.

Give Financially

Dress for Success offers all kinds of amazing programs for their clients, so if you’d like to contribute, head to their donate page!

Attend an Event

Keep track of Dress For Success in Toronto on Twitter and attend an event!

Other ways to help include hosting your own donation drive, becoming a corporate partner, or becoming a referral agency. Follow Dress for Success Toronto on Facebook and keep up with all of the incredible good they’re doing in our city.