Philanthropy Friday Behind the Scenes with Dress for Success Columbus

Today's Behind the Scenes Philanthropy Friday highlights Dress for Success Columbus. To find out more about this wonderful organization visit the Columbus Underground Dress for Success Feature article.

When interviewing Dress for Success Columbus I asked Executive Director, Vicki Bowen to share a moment that touched her. This is what she shared with me.

One that keeps me passionate and motivated is one day a woman came up to me in a PWG meeting and asked to speak with me outside of the room. PWG are women that initially came to Dress for Success Columbus for interview suiting and Career Center services, then got a job and received employment suiting, and are now employed and enrolled in our employment retention program. When I went out into the hall with her she handed me a photograph that was taken of her and her children the weekend before.

She said “I didn’t have my children for over a year. They were in foster care because I could no longer take care of them. I had let my life completely go and had lost interest in even trying. When I came to Dress for Success and was treated like a lady that had worth, I started feeling like I mattered again, and it was a turning point for me. I got a job, saved some money, moved out of the shelter and have been saving what I can. Last week, I got my kids back from social services, and I am not going to let anything stand in my way of achieving my goal to be a manager at work and keep my kids happy and healthy. Thank you for believing in me and the hundreds of other women that have lost hope. Dress for Success gave me my dignity back and I’m forever grateful.”

As you can imagine, I was extremely touched and will never forget the determination I saw in that woman’s eyes. We all have that strength in our core that helps us survive, and it is our mission to help women realize their importance and be the best role models that they can be for their children – to help them break the cycle of generational poverty and be leaders in the community and mentors to those who may feel on the brink of hopelessness. We need to build each other up, support one another – no matter what our differences are in race, creed, age. It’s about compassion for our sisters who have fallen on hard times. Without it, what else is there?