IMPACT 360 Spotlight: Mahnaz Nakhaee

As promised, we have another feature of one of our amazing clients who will be walking down the runway on June 5th at IMPACT 360. On April 14th, we featured a comprehensive guide to everything IMPACT! To read more about it, visit our last blog post.

We would, now, like you to meet Mahnaz Nakhaee. She is one of 10 women who has kindly shared her story with us, her experiences with Dress for Success Vancouver, and her process of empowerment.

To hear more of her story and see her proudly walk down the runway, join us at IMPACT 360 as we Celebrate Fashion and begin Fundraising for Change!

When did you first get introduced to Dress for Success Vancouver?

I was introduced to Dress for Success for the first time in January 2013 by a program called Job Option Program to receive an outfit for my interview. This experience was invaluable because it actually led me to PWG program that I found so inspiring with incredible success stories presented by PWG members, wonderful mentors whose support is always there, and great speakers invited to the meetings.

How has this experience impacted your life?

It helped me to change the way I looked at my life, my work, and the world. This program is filled with inspiration and invaluable insights.

What has been your most important lesson from PWG Program?

My great experience in this program has been networking. I met successful women with the same or even more challenges than I have had as a new comer, and I found out how they have overcome those challenges. I also had the chance to share all my own dreams, concerns, and ideas with them and receive great pieces of advice.

What is your occupation?

Retail, but I used to work as an instructor at University and also a tour guide in my home country.

If you could share a piece of advice to other women looking for a career, what would you tell them?

Don't hesitate to join Dress for Success Program. It is more than just clothes. It is so rewarding and inspiring. It leads them to set realistic and achievable goals to get them where they want to go and enables them to embrace a new season of life and reengage in a world that makes their dreams come true.

What made you want to be a part of IMPACT 360?

I am passionate about empowerment for women. The reason I wanted to be part of the IMPACT 360 was to let other women looking for a career know about Dress for Success and tell them whatever I have accomplished has been due to their generous help and support. To be truly successful means that you have people in your life that support you and care about you. This program paved the way for me from no job to a career that fits my goals and dreams.

Who is your hero?

Helen Keller, a strong woman I admire a lot and her life story taught me nothing is impossible.

What is your motto?

My motto is actually a quote from Helen Keller:

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

Where is your dream vacation?

Heaven on earth Keukenhof garden in The Netherlands. It is the world's largest tulip flower garden. It is very fantastic!

Celebrating Fashion, Fundraising for Change

IMPACT 360 is quickly approaching and we've decided to give you the inside scoop on what you can expect to see, who will be there, and what your ticket will be contributing to.

IMPACT 360 is our signature fundraiser of the year. This year’s theme is ‘Celebrating Fashion, Fundraising for Change’. The night will include a myriad of different activities, from live & silent auctions, vodka & scotch tastings, beauty bar, fresh fare, and door prizes! It will be held at the brand new Regency Lexus at 6^th and Burrard on June 5^th.

The name ‘IMPACT 360’ comes from the idea that these women have come full circle in their lives, and this event is a chance for them to share their stories and impact other women the way that they’ve been impacted. ‘360’ also represents how much it costs to put one woman through all of our programs for a year, including dressing services, Career Centre services, the Professional Women’s Group (PWG), and much more.

Our main spectacle of the evening will be our fashion show. It will feature 10 of our Dress for Success clients who have shown tremendous growth from our programs, exhibit leadership in their lives, and share a strong passion in their careers and everything that they do. They have shown us a willingness to share their stories, all of which you will hear at IMPACT 360. Some have also volunteered to be a part of a promotional video for the event. You can watch the video here.

We wanted to introduce you to these 10 incredible women to give you an insight on who they are, and why they were chosen to represent the values and mission of Dress for Success Vancouver. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be featuring Q & A's with all of them and sharing them here on our blog. Tune in to follow their inspiring stories and don't forget to buy your tickets to IMPACT 360 to hear these stories from the women themselves!

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Our first feature is Sunny Johnston. We've recently featured Sunny in one of our Client Spotlights, but we thought we would share some more about how and why she got involved in Dress for Success in her own words.

Sunny came into our program about a year ago, looking for a stepping stone to push her towards pursuing the goals of her life:

"When you walk into a work place and you’re not dressed appropriately for the job you’re pursuing even though deep down inside you know I am awesome for this job, I can do this job, I can give a one hundred percent, but I don’t look the part, people won’t hire you and it sucks, but that’s just the way that it goes. It’s nice to have the confidence, knowing that there is someone out there that is just like you, that is in the same exact situation that you are. It’s almost healing in a way." 

How has this experience impacted your life?

Coming to Dress for Success and being a part of the PWG has always given me the power to meet these women and these women are the strongest women I have, so I am very happy. My experience at DFS has been absolutely phenomenal, amazing, I have been treated so well. It’s been a blessing in disguise really.

If you could share a piece of advice to other women looking for a career, what would you tell them?

For any person that actually wants to come into this program, just do it, you’re going to find so much more than it is that you’re actually looking for. It’s more than just a shirt. It’s more than just a pair of shoes. It’s something more. It’s confidence, it’s a reason to go out there and get the job that you want. 

What is your motto?

"Enough"
One day I will be...
One day I will have...
One day I will accomplish...
Because "Enough" is all you will ever need...

To read more about Sunny, visit her Client Spotlight!

Tune in for more spotlights in the coming weeks on these 10 inspiring stories of the women who have been so kind to share their stories with us.

To purchase your tickets for IMPACT 360, visit our website!

Client Spotlight: Sunny Johnston

Name: Sunny Johnston

When did you first get introduced to Dress for Success Vancouver? I was referred to Dress for Success Vancouver in June of 2013 by a program called ACCESS ( Aboriginal Community Career & Employment Services Society). It was very comforting knowing that there are women out there that were in the exact same situation as I was in.

What has been your most important lesson from the PWG program? You are not alone, there is always someone willing to help and show you the way. Networking is such a huge part of the working world and it's a blessing that the PWG had made it so much more interesting and easy. The PWG gives you a sense of security and belonging so you're able to open up easier about your dreams and goals that you have set for yourself.

What is your occupation? Retail/Student/Youth Worker

Who is your hero? My Mother. She has taught me the importance of being myself and never settle for anything less then what I deserve.

Where is your dream vacation? I have a whole bucket list full of them. So many to name but I will see them all. I am very optimistic about that.

What is your motto?
"Enough"
One day I will be...
One day I will have...
One day I will accomplish...
Because "Enough" is all you will ever need...

Say Yes to YES! Vancouver

One of the many YES! Events put on to raise funds for DFS

Here at Dress for Success, we are strong believers in the power of women helping women. We need to continue supporting each other and ensure that if the resources are available, that they are accessible to everyone!

Dress for Success Vancouver is fortunate enough to have many partner organizations who continue to help us reach our goals of assisting more women get back into the workforce. YES! Vancouver (Young Executives for Success) is just one of those many organizations. Founded in 2005, YES! was launched in New York City to champion the mission of Dress for Success. Now with six locations worldwide, YES! provides an outlet for professional women to connect, have fun, and support a meaningful cause. 

The women of YES! at a yoga-inspired event.

These amazing women host a myriad of events including monthly mingles, panel discussions and signature style galas, generously donating all proceeds to Dress for Success Vancouver. As a result of these events, YES! has raised over $85,000 and helped more than 160 women successfully complete Dress for Success programming. How incredible!

"Our vision is to provide the most innovative, fresh and meaningful networking events for professional women in Vancouver, while raising money to help other women get the help they need to advance their careers and livelihood."

Their next event is a Dress for Success Open House here at our boutique on the evening of April 9th! This is a chance to see how Dress for Success works behind the scenes--what a VIP experience! You’ll get to see first-hand where your contributions go, how the shop operates, and meet the wonderful people who run the show. The ticket cost is a donation of $5 for Members and $10 for Non-Members, and includes complimentary cupcakes and champagne from Cakely Creations and Barefoot Wine & Bubbly. Plus, all attendees will leave with a LaRoche Posay goody bag! Talk about a great girls night out! Buy your tickets today!

If you would like to become a member of YES!, please visit their website to find out how! Along with the proceeds of all of their fundraising events, 100% of your membership contribution goes directly back to Dress for Success Vancouver. If it were not for organizations like YES! Vancouver, we would not be able to support the amount of women that we do every year. We encourage you to visit their website and familiarize yourself with their events. Whether for volunteering purposes, networking opportunities, or just to meet some great gals, YES! Vancouver provides the resources that you need to expand you professional network!

Mod for a Cause: Great Deals for a Great Cause

These gorgeous Manolo Blahnik`s could be yours this weekend!

It's that time again! We are putting on our bi-annual clothing sale, and you are invited!

We receive many donations throughout the year, and for all of those, we are so very grateful! However, we are not able to use all of them in our boutique. Since we would still like to put these wonderful items to use, we are putting on a spring sale with great deals on gently used, new and designer clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry and much more! This is a fundraiser event with 100% of proceeds going back to Dress for Success Vancouver.

A sneak peek of our fabulous retail space

We invite you to join us from March 29-April 4 (closed on Sunday) at the Harbour Centre Upper Mall Level, 555 West Hastings Street. The sale runs from 10am-6pm everyday except Sunday. We invite the public to come check out our great deals, while supporting a great cause!

We will also have donation drop off days prior to the sale on March 26th & 27th from 11:30am-2:00pm at the Food Court level. We are asking for work appropriate handbags, new make-up, work appropriate clothing in sizes 0-4 and 16-up, and work appropriate shoe sizes 4-6 and 10-up.

Handbags, handbags, handbags!

All of the merchandise is women`s clothing, ranging from casual spring and summer wear, to professional suits, to designer labels, to gorgeous handbags, and the list goes on! Be sure to come early to ensure the purchase of your must-have item!

*Please note, due to limited retail space all change rooms are communal only.

Influential Women in Business: Laurie Schultz

We are so proud of our Board Chair, Laurie Schultz, who is being honoured on March 5th at Business In Vancouver's Influential Women in Business Awards. Congratulations Laurie!

Find out more about Laurie in the Business In Vancouver article!

Let's Hear It For The Girls!

Grace is all dolled up and ready for her interview with Kim

This past Saturday, three of our previous clients and active PWG members came in for a photoshoot! The ladies had a great time getting their make-up done and having their photos professionally taken! Why all this fun, you ask? This is all in preparation for our largest fundraiser of the year, IMPACT 360! This year, we are going to be celebrating fashion, hosting a fashion show fundraiser! We will be inviting 10 of our clients to participate and share their stories in an effort to give our donors a new perspective on our clients and what we do here at Dress for Success Vancouver.

Geraldine is getting her makeup done!

Our Dress for Success volunteer mentor, Kim Conroy, was on-sight interviewing the women to find out more about their stories. The three women involved--Carrie, Grace, and Geraldine--were kind enough to open up to Kim about their experiences with Dress for Success Vancouver, and will also be participating in the upcoming fashion show at IMPACT 360 on June 5th.

Carrie, being photographed at our Dress for Success Vancouver office.

If you would like to hear more about these women's stories, and others like theirs, be sure to mark your calendars and attend our biggest fundraiser of the year:  IMPACT 360! Tickets go on sale in April so be sure to stay tuned for more information on our Facebook page!