Thursday, May 6, 2010

Author Lenora Worth & Dress for Success


My guest today Love Inspired Author Lenora Worth shares the way she helps women find their inner strength. Here's Lenora, bless her heart.

"I believe in helping other women so when I decide to support a non-profit organization, I always do research to this end. Therefore, I’ve been involved in Dress for Success for many years, as both a volunteer and a board member. Our local affiliate has a nice boutique where women who need a helping hand to get back into the work place can come and shop for an interview suit and later, a work day suit, including accessories. Being a part of this has been so rewarding for me, I wanted to share this with everyone I know.

We gather gently worn clothes for the boutique all year long and once a year, we have a “Send One Suit” clothes drive where several local businesses help out with dry-cleaning and donations. We have various fund-raising events throughout the year, too. And we have several national sponsors such as Dress-Barn, Avon, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Lia Sophia jewelry, just to name a few. These sponsorships are distributed accordingly throughout the many affiliates. I’ve work as often as I can in the boutique, helping to dress clients. It’s so much fun to help the women shop for the perfect outfit for an interview. The women are referred by other non-profit organizations and we have guidelines and rules, but helping to suit them is a life-changing assignment. We start with asking them about themselves and what type of work they have applied for. Then we pick out blouses, skirts, pants and jackets to fit their work. We also help them find the right shoes and purses to go with their new outfits.

Women enter uncertain and embarrassed at times, but emerge looking confident and professional. I think the best part of being a consultant in the boutique is watching the transformation. They beam with pride when we find the right suit and so do we. Dressing to impress, what some might consider frivolous, is really a very important component in building a woman’s confidence and courage. It does make a different, in their minds and in the eyes of an employer. Dress for Success began in New York in 1997 and is now Dress for Success Worldwide. To date, we’ve suited over 300,000 women in over 80 cities and in five countries (and counting.) We also offer continuing support with a Professional Women’s Group that mentors by bringing in speakers and consultants on a monthly basis. And most affiliates offer a Career Center where women have access to technology and can improve their professional skills by updating resumes, practice business writing and take care of any type of business tasks. I’m so proud to be a part of such a strong, vital organization and I encourage women everywhere to learn more about Dress for Success Worldwide. It’s a network of strong women working to help other women. And that’s something we can all celebrate."--Lenora Worth

Here's Lenora's latest Love Inspired romance. She is donating a copy to my MEGA May gift basket. Leave a comment to be eligible for the end of the month drawing. Thanks, Lenora--Lyn



May 2010--Hometown Princess
June 2010--Risky Reunion
August 2010--Mission: Bodyguard
December 2010--The Soldier's Mission

10 comments:

Rose said...

Lenora,

I've heard of this organization and I appauld it efforts in helping women get a step up to a better job so they can care for their families.

Rose

RRossZediker at yahoo dot com

Pepper said...

Nice interview and what a wonderful ministry!!

Thanks Lenora and Lyn.

Lenora said...

Thanks to both of you. This is a great organization and I highly recommend everyone to get involved.
Thanks Lyn, for letting me talk about Dress for Success.

Valerie Hansen said...

How cool is this! I had no idea such a wonderful outreach existed.

Go get 'em, Lenora!

Blessings,
Val

Nicola said...

What a wonderful, uplifting thing to do Lenora. Raising confidence and encouraging others is something we can all strive to do through kind words, gestures or support.

Thanks for sharing this lovely post!

Kind regards
Nicola

nicolak3(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Lenora:
It was a pleasure to hear how active you are in this organization. I hear a lot about it even in my isolated neck of the woods. It's a wonderful program, and I don't know anyone more capable of presenting an effective role model to these women than you. Thanks for sharing your expertise and time with others. Posted by Irene Brand

Eva Maria Hamilton said...

What a great idea!
Thanks for sharing that with us!

EvaMariaHamilton at gmail dot com

Lenora said...

Thanks everyone. I hope this brings about some more awareness for Dress for Success Worldwide. It's so fulfilling to help other women realize their inner and outer potential.

Lenora said...

Thanks everyone. I hope this brings about some more awareness for Dress for Success Worldwide. It's so fulfilling to help other women realize their inner and outer potential.

redheadkate said...

I now work for a faming organization, so jeans are my typical dress code. But I used to work in a professional environment where I wore suits. Our annual Dress for Success clothing drive was one of my favorite times of the year. It was always exciting to know that we could help other women improve their lives...and feel better about themselves in the process.