A Look-A-Like Boutique Philanthropy

So, (semi-)long story short: My AmeriCorps term ended with the American Red Cross and now I'm serving my second term in AmeriCorps at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
I've only been in this new role for about a month and just had my first training session yesterday. Part of our training was a service project. AmeriCorps has a requirement where members must fulfill certain trainings as well as complete four service projects throughout our year of service that are different from our day to day role. One of the other AC members at BBBS had volunteered at our local Dress for Success so we thought that would be a fun thing to do during our afternoon.

After (a wonderful baked potato bar) lunch, we headed out for our project. After a short walk, we arrived at Dress for Success. The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. They do this by giving women a suit for interviews as well as more clothes after they have secured a job and by offering classes to help them develop their careers. It is a fairly new organization having only existed since 1997 nationally and only serving my community for about a year (it had been in the planning process for about a year before that!). When a women is referred to the agency (by housing authorities or domestic violence caseworkers etc) she is treated to a personal shopping experience where trained volunteers pick out items just for her; help her learn what size she needs and what fits her best. Dress for Success also provides make-up, shoes, jewelry, and handbags (as long as they are available). Most of the items they give away are donated by individuals, but they have corporate sponsors too. I wish I'd remembered to take a picture!
As our volunteer shift started, we got a tour and explanation of all the work Dress for Success does. Our job was to put spring/summer items into storage bins and replenish the racks with fall/winter items. While we were hard at work (in the cutest boutique-looking non-profit I've ever seen btw), a women came in for an appointment. She had been in another day and had found a suit for an interview. She got the job and was back to get a week's worth of separates to get her through until her first pay check. She had two dedicated and understanding volunteers working hard to find items that were her taste and size.

This was a very neat experience. I had never volunteered in an organization with a mission even close to this. Their focus is to empower women and help them to achieve their goals. I felt so good about the work we did even though we didn't even have direct contact with an individual receiving aid. I hope to volunteer here again!