Ready...Set...BID!

Attention IMPACT attendees! We're very excited to announce our four Live Auction packages, up for grabs at this Thursday's event:

1. Couple’s Retreat

Take a weekend off, leave behind the stress of your everyday life, and relish in a luxurious Sunshine Coast vacation at Rockwater Secret Cove Resort. A perfect place to get caught up in an environment of nature and leisure, this package includes two nights stay in a luxury tenthouse suite, a gourmet breakfast for two and two bottles of wine for your enjoyment.

Donors: Rockwater Secret Cove Resort
Value: $825

2. He Shoots! He Scores!

Just in time for playoffs! Don’t miss this chance to get your very own autographed Vancouver Canucks jersey. At 26 years old, weighing in at just over 200 lbs and measuring 6’2”, he’s a powerhouse player that shoots right and wears number 17 - Ryan Kesler! Show your Vancouver pride while you cheer on the Canucks on the road to the Cup!

Donors: Vancouver Canucks
Value: Priceless

3. Private Dinner Party for Six

This prize includes an intimate private dinner party for you and five of your closest friends or family. Perfect for celebrating a special occasion, or just to spoil your close friends. Chef Drew will present a gourmet four-course meal, prepared in your own home, as you sit back and relax with your dinner guests. Also included are six bottles of wine, generously donated by Dress for Success Vancouver Board members.

Donors: Drew Cooks Catering, Dress for Success Vancouver Board members

Value: $675

4. Ladies Day & Night Out

You and your girlfriend will begin your day with $150 each to spend on pampering at Sutro, then head up to Tique on South Granville with $500 to spend on beautiful apparel by Jones New York and Anne Klein. Refuel with your $50 gift certificate to Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island, then relax with a one night’s stay in a deluxe room at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. A glamorous day and night out right here in Vancouver!

Donors: Tique on South Granville, Sutro, Bridges Restaurant, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver
Value: $1,285

Don't miss out! Tickets to IMPACT are still available at www.supportdfsvan.org or buy over the phone at 604-408-7923. See you there!

Meet Manyara from the Dress for Success Vancouver Professional Women's Group!

Were Manyara Rinomhota to be asked how she would described herself the words “continually evolving” would be those that came to mind. She would also most certainly say that she feels more African now living in Canada than she ever did in her native Zimbabwe. Her love of numbers and natural, insatiable curiosity lead her into the field of accounting in which she has spent almost 18 years. She currently heads the Accounting Department for a well-known restaurant specializing in exquisite Indian cuisine.

As mother to two children, second-born of five siblings, a friend, a supervisor and employee, Manyara has learnt that the most meaningful interactions in life are those that are entered into with integrity and a genuine concern for those with whom one comes in contact. The care, protection and empowerment of women and children are issues for which Manyara has a great passion and desire to challenge both herself and others.

Manyara has always enjoyed a vast array of music and food, the latter of which goes toward fuelling her energy for sport and working out! Mozambique, Italy, Zanzibar, Brazil and Japan remain on her wish list of places she’d love to visit…but not for long.

Meet Manyara at IMPACT an event for change, Dress for Success Vancouver's annual fundraising gala, March 3 at The Vancouver Club. Mix-and-mingle, bid on exciting live and silent auction prizes, sample organic potato vodka - a great night out for a great cause! Visit www.supportdfsvan.org for tickets.

For the love of Italian wine and shoes..

Attention wine and shoe lovers!

Antinori Wines (part of the Mark Anothony Group) and Townshoes are pairing up for a promotion this month, giving one lucky shoe lover the chance to win 10 pairs of shoes! And the best part, (yes, an even better part!) for every contest entry to this contest, $0.50 will be donated to Dress for Success Vancouver.

There is no purchase necessary - visit the contest page for more details
http://www.markanthony.com/contests/antinori/

Last but not least, join us for a unique spin on Wine Pairing, Wine and Shoes, on February 27th from 1pm-4pm.

Try some amazing Italian Wines, browse some fabulous Italian shoes and enter to win one of 2 $100 gift certificates for Town Shoes.

Win a $2,500 Oakridge Centre Shopping Spree!

Oakridge Centre has generously donated a $2,500 shopping spree as our IMPACT an event for change raffle prize. Over 150 stores await!

Tickets are 1 for $20 or 3 for $50 and available at the Dress for Success® Vancouver office (675 W Hastings St). Visit www.supportdfsvan.org for more info and call 604-408-7923 for tickets.

Attendance at event not required to win.

www.oakridgecentre.com

Goodbye IAM Cares Vancouver

The staff and volunteers at Dress for Success Vancouver are sad to see the doors close to one of our long-time referral agencies, IAM Cares Society (Vancouver location), due to lack of government funding.

The EDGE program in Vancouver provided job search skills program for unemployed or underemployed individuals with persistent health issues or disabilities, sending over 70 clients to Dress for Success Vancouver in 2010 alone. The Surrey and North Vancouver locations remain open.

Save the Date!

Save the Date! On March 3, 2011 - Dress for Success Vancouver will be holding its annual fundraiser, IMPACT - an event for change, at The Vancouver Club.

Your generous support of this event will help hundreds of local women access all four of our programs.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.supportdfsvan.org

We look forward to seeing you there!

Operation Green - No More Plastic

As an organization that gives clothing a second life while helping women, Dress for Success Vancouver is already on board with the 3 Rs. When we receive donations that we cannot use, we further donate them to other organizations helping those in need. We recycle recyclables and save all take-out condiments and utensils for future eating emergencies. We're pretty good at being green.

However, when it comes to drinking water, we are not so considerate about Mother Earth. With over 250 volunteers working various shifts in our “shop”, we see a lot of plastic water bottles. In fact, we provide water to our volunteers in these nasty containers. And a lot of the time, at the end of a shift, we are left with several of them, less a few sips. I have to say that we haven’t been wasteful exactly; all partially-drank bottles find a new home either as boiled water for tea or thirst-quenchers for our plants. But seriously – what plants need bottled water!?

We decided that it’s time for a change in 2011 - we are starting the “Operation Green: No More Plastic” project. We will no longer provide plastic water bottles to our volunteers. Instead, we’ll be encouraging our volunteers to bring their own re-usable water bottles or cups with them for their shifts, so they can remain both hydrated and green.