Click here to make your year-end gift today! The Glick Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation, will generously match donations from new donors as well as donors who give more than last year!
Sometimes, you need just a little bit of help to succeed. Your donations to Dress for Success Indianapolis help us empower women to restore their lives. Every day I meet women who are overcoming obstacles and moving ahead with courage, dignity and determination. When I think about a woman who has lived this journey and inspires me, I think of Allyson.
Allyson is a believer, she thinks that whatever you believe you can do, you will. When she was suddenly let go from a company she had been with for 10 years, Allyson’s first reaction was sadness, her second was that she needed a new job – now. Allyson applied for unemployment through WorkOne the night she lost her job, and she started attending employment workshops there the next morning.
She secured an interview and was getting ready for the second interview when her caseworker suggested an appointment with us. “I didn’t think I was needy enough, but I only had one nice pair of pants since I could wear jeans and T-shirts at my old job. I was scared at first about receiving free clothing, but once I met my personal shopper and saw the boutique, I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how great I looked and I knew then that I could just really concentrate on selling myself.” Allyson landed that job, and she’s still there today.
Although it sounds like Allyson had an easy transition, that is far from the truth. Replacing her previous salary proved to be impossible. Losing her job also meant she lost her apartment. Having to move to a cheaper area of the city, Allyson now lives in a neighborhood she thinks is unsafe. Her self-confidence really took a beating after losing such long-term employment.
Allyson came back to us to continue her personal and professional development and joined our Professional Women’s Group (PWG). Through PWG, Allyson is working on building her self-confidence and has surrounded herself with a network of positive women all working hard to change their lives. We were touched when she told us, “The members and staff are often a second family for some, and for many others, a very important first family.”
Allyson is now working hard to find a better paying position. Until she does, her pet and house-sitting business helps fill in the gaps in her budget. She’s also giving back by volunteering at Dress for Success Indianapolis.
Your gift to Dress for Success Indianapolis will allow us to continue providing critical programming that empowers women to succeed. I’ll leave you with Allyson’s words, “Dress for Success gives us the tools and resources to improve ourselves, which in turn improves our self-esteem. We can see that anything is possible if we just believe in ourselves.”
Barbara S. Ellsworth,
Executive Director
P.S. Your donation is a gift of hope. You’re giving Allyson and the 1,300+ women we will serve next year the chance to create a better future for themselves and their families. Thank you in advance for making more stories like this possible.
