Meet our Power Walk 2013 Ambassador - Elisabeth Walker-Young

We are so thrilled to have Elisabeth Walker-Young back as one of our ambassador’s for the Dress for Success Vancouver Power Walk 2013! As an active contributor to the community, Elisabeth Walker-Young is an inspiration to us all.

Elisabeth has made a huge impact in the Paralympic community and radiates commitment and determination. Recently, Elisabeth played a crucial role in the London 2012 Paralympic Games as Canada’s Assistant Chef de Mission. Bringing an athlete-centred perspective to this core leadership role, Elisabeth contributed to the planning and delivery of operations in London, proudly supporting all members of Team Canada both on and off the field of play.

Elisabeth has been monumental to the contribution of promoting the Paralympic Movement. In London, Walker-Young served as CTV’s English language commentator for the broadcasts of both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. This was a perfect platform for her to share her passion and expertise for parasport with Canadian audiences. In addition, Elisabeth acted as a liaison with the Canadian Paralympic Committee's (CPC) corporate and government partners during the Games. Elisabeth’s active social media presence allowed her to contribute to the influence and connection with Canadians and the sport community.

As a result of her role in the London Paralympic Games, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport (CAAWS) named Elisabeth one of the Most Influential Women of 2012. Additionally, she was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal, recognized as an athlete and builder.

Elisabeth was a 13-year member of the Canadian Paralympic Swim Team, having represented Canada at 4 Summer Paralympic Games from Barcelona 1992 through to Athens 2004. Throughout her swimming career, she broke numerous Canadian and World records, bringing home 6 Paralympic medals (3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze) while having the opportunity to use her leadership skills as team captain for more than half of her career.

Following her athletics career, Elisabeth took everything she learned as a professional athlete and focused on a career path in sport management. From the development, management, and evaluation of program and events, Elisabeth continually challenges herself and others in raising the bar.

Elisabeth is an advocate for healthy living and enjoys teaching spin classes which allows her to share her love and knowledge of an active, healthy lifestyle with her class participants. A resident of Deep Cove, Elisabeth loves hiking, walking, running and snowshoeing in the trails with her husband, Ian and her dog, Joey.

We are so excited to partner with such an amazing and inspirational woman.  Join Elisabeth and Dress for Success Vancouver for The Power Walk 2013!

Wealth Academy 2013

On February 2nd, 2013, 200 women joined us for an amazing day at the Scottish Cultural Centre to learn about our own relationships with what we earn!

Gaining useful tips and tools to arm ourselves with empowering knowledge, we navigated through many topics that can help us be the best with our finances.

From learning how to negotiate what you are worth in your career choices, to building a relationship with your financial institution, Tracey Theemes and her expert panel of speakers inspired us to embrace our current situations and move forward- from debt to prosperity, as an empowered investor, and as a women in control of what she earns and what she wants her money to do!

We laughed, we role played, we got busy! At the end of the day, we left armed with inspiration and a better understanding of our own "stock value". Check out our photos! 

Looking forward to Wealth Academy 2014....

Meet Maria Amestoy- A Dress for Success Inspiration

When Maria Amestoy stands before the assembled supporters of Dress for Success Vancouver at IMPACT - An Event for Change, she’ll thank them for choosing her to represent the work of Dress for Success Vancouver, but she won’t tell them the story of how she got this far.  Lucia Crosson, Program Manager, says that Maria was chosen because she was always willing to support the organization even when her own situation was far from easy. “And Maria never thinks that her story is all that important,” she comments. But it’s a story worth telling because it is one of overcoming violence, trauma, dislocation and heartache through the power of community, education and empathy—and a smart suit. 

Maria still remembers how wonderful it was when Dress for Success Vancouver helped her to look her best when accepting the Community Entrepreneur Award from Embers, a Downtown Eastside association. “They did my make up and found a great outfit for me,” she recalls. She first became aware of Dress for Success Vancouver through Brenda Crump, an employment support worker with the New Start Program for Women. “She really encouraged me to go, it was really because of her that I found the organization.” And that changed everything.

Aside from helping her with wardrobe, a volunteer from Dress for Success' Career Centre assisted with her resume and taught her how to put her best foot forward during an interview. “We did role playing, and that was really good,” she says. “Dress for Success doesn’t just help you to look better, they help you to feel better because what they do is to offer human validation. There is a huge difference between walking alone and having someone walk beside you,” she says. “With Dress for Success, I experienced that healing sense of belonging that we all need to feel safe and appreciated as human beings.”

To hear more about Maria's story, join us at IMPACT: An Event for Change on Thursday, March 7th and experience for yourself the power of your contribution.

Starting the New Year with a SPARK!

Dress for Success Vancouver's Professional Women's Group had their monthly meeting on Saturday, January 26th.   Lorie Corcuera and Aileen De La Torre of Spark Creations are essence coaches who conducted a one hour session to help our members discover their core values.

Lorie Corcuera shares feedback from the group- a vision board for finding your essence.

It was a busy hour for the women as they got up on their feet, did group exercises and learned how to receive and give feedback to small groups that consisted of their "sparkners".

Dress for Success Intern Alice thanks Lorie and Aileen for their  session.

The women left the session feeling "inspired", "empowered" and "excited" as they re-discovered their Spark!  Thank you to Lorie and Aileen of Spark Creations for donating your time and wisdom by helping inspire the women of the Professional Women's Group.   It was a great way to start the Year!