VANCOUVER—The annual “Dress Me For Success” corporate challenge ended recently in Vancouver with a fashion show, raffle prizes, and an auction, all to raise money for disadvantaged women.
Dress for Succes (DFS) is a charity that helps low-income women transition into the workforce by providing professional attire and career support.
Hosted by CTV’s Keri Adams, the corporate challenge got companies involved in social responsibility by competing against each other to raise the most money by selling raffle tickets and collecting clothing for donation.
The finalists then competed on Thursday in a scavenger hunt at the Pacific Palisades Hotel to find items of clothing hidden around the hotel and assemble a business- appropriate outfit to model for the judges.
Competitors included BC Hydro, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Ernst & Young, McNeill Nakamoto Recruitment Group, Pacific Palisades Hotel, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Terason Gas.
The winner of both the fashion show and the “most money raised per employee” segment of the challenge was Macneill Nakamoto, a Vancouver-based recruitment firm.
Dress for Succes (DFS) is a charity that helps low-income women transition into the workforce by providing professional attire and career support.
Hosted by CTV’s Keri Adams, the corporate challenge got companies involved in social responsibility by competing against each other to raise the most money by selling raffle tickets and collecting clothing for donation.
The finalists then competed on Thursday in a scavenger hunt at the Pacific Palisades Hotel to find items of clothing hidden around the hotel and assemble a business- appropriate outfit to model for the judges.
Competitors included BC Hydro, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Ernst & Young, McNeill Nakamoto Recruitment Group, Pacific Palisades Hotel, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Terason Gas.
The winner of both the fashion show and the “most money raised per employee” segment of the challenge was Macneill Nakamoto, a Vancouver-based recruitment firm.
Macneill Nakamoto’s founder, Cheryl Nakamoto, got involved in order to find a way to support women. She believes corporations have a responsibility to genuinely give back — not just to boost their reputation, but from their hearts.
“I learned through doing charity work that you don’t force people to do anything, they have to want to do it... Its not that when you do something for charity you want something back, its not that,” said Nakamoto.
“[Corporations] should really look for organizations where they align themselves, what they are passionate about. So it has to come from their heart... they can talk about what charity means a lot to them, where they feel a connection, and then from there they can make a contribution and they can reach out.”
Since 1999, the Dress For Success Vancouver Professional Women’s Group has provided resources to help clients build successful careers with networking and education programs. Areas of education include everything from accessorizing an outfit to improving self-esteem and practical skills training.
The programs are aimed at directly addressing the clients’ social and economic needs to promote financial independence and self-sufficiency.
With over 200 volunteers, DFS relies largely on community resources to make it work. Debra Twocock, executive director of Vancouver’s DFS chapter, appreciates the support they have received from corporations but would like to see more.
“It’s a bit of a slow process. I would say that where the corporate world is governed by women, our inroads happen much more quickly.”
Twocock said that considering the costs of hiring and training and the fact that DFS provides support to help the women remain employed and to work through any initial problems, the program “should be much more highly regarded I think by everyone in the corporate world.”
“We’re looking at times where people are constantly looking for good help and don’t seem to understand why they can’t find it. Well we can tell them! We’re really working to get the message out that there’s a lot more to us than the clothing part — that a woman who is supported and can become productive will just take things and run.”
Twocock points to the value of educating women and teaching them practical skills, which can then benefit society by “paying it forward.” The clients often use what they have learned to help others, even becoming mentors themselves.
“Its a special person who can be a mentor to someone else, at least in a formal circumstance. But I’m sure that every single one of the ladies has learned to appreciate the value of supporting one another and I’m sure that they pay it forward in many, many aspects of their lives.”
Becky Knapton, DFS board member and chair of the corporate challenge this year, noted the importance of attitude in running a non-profit business.
“What does it take to make it successful? A lot of heart and hard work. Our staff is amazing, the dedication to what they do and to whom they provide really valuable services is great. And they make it fun to volunteer. I mean that’s the difference I think, there’s volunteering because you know it feels good and it’s important and then there’s volunteering because it’s a fun thing to do. So its a combination of that.”
Dress For Success has helped more than 10,000 women in Vancouver alone and has affiliate locations in more than 85 cities across the United States, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. To find out how you can get involved with DFS or with next year’s corporate challenge please visit www.dressforsuccess.org/vancouver.
“I learned through doing charity work that you don’t force people to do anything, they have to want to do it... Its not that when you do something for charity you want something back, its not that,” said Nakamoto.
“[Corporations] should really look for organizations where they align themselves, what they are passionate about. So it has to come from their heart... they can talk about what charity means a lot to them, where they feel a connection, and then from there they can make a contribution and they can reach out.”
Since 1999, the Dress For Success Vancouver Professional Women’s Group has provided resources to help clients build successful careers with networking and education programs. Areas of education include everything from accessorizing an outfit to improving self-esteem and practical skills training.
The programs are aimed at directly addressing the clients’ social and economic needs to promote financial independence and self-sufficiency.
With over 200 volunteers, DFS relies largely on community resources to make it work. Debra Twocock, executive director of Vancouver’s DFS chapter, appreciates the support they have received from corporations but would like to see more.
“It’s a bit of a slow process. I would say that where the corporate world is governed by women, our inroads happen much more quickly.”
Twocock said that considering the costs of hiring and training and the fact that DFS provides support to help the women remain employed and to work through any initial problems, the program “should be much more highly regarded I think by everyone in the corporate world.”
“We’re looking at times where people are constantly looking for good help and don’t seem to understand why they can’t find it. Well we can tell them! We’re really working to get the message out that there’s a lot more to us than the clothing part — that a woman who is supported and can become productive will just take things and run.”
Twocock points to the value of educating women and teaching them practical skills, which can then benefit society by “paying it forward.” The clients often use what they have learned to help others, even becoming mentors themselves.
“Its a special person who can be a mentor to someone else, at least in a formal circumstance. But I’m sure that every single one of the ladies has learned to appreciate the value of supporting one another and I’m sure that they pay it forward in many, many aspects of their lives.”
Becky Knapton, DFS board member and chair of the corporate challenge this year, noted the importance of attitude in running a non-profit business.
“What does it take to make it successful? A lot of heart and hard work. Our staff is amazing, the dedication to what they do and to whom they provide really valuable services is great. And they make it fun to volunteer. I mean that’s the difference I think, there’s volunteering because you know it feels good and it’s important and then there’s volunteering because it’s a fun thing to do. So its a combination of that.”
Dress For Success has helped more than 10,000 women in Vancouver alone and has affiliate locations in more than 85 cities across the United States, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. To find out how you can get involved with DFS or with next year’s corporate challenge please visit www.dressforsuccess.org/vancouver.