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!

Our volunteers who make magic happen!

On Saturday, February 8th, Dress for Success Vancouver volunteer stylists helped dress five clients from Ts'zil Learning Centre Lil'wat Nation/Mount Currie Band. Our style consultants made such every woman feel special and they left feeling completely happy and empowered! Here are some of their feedback:

"It was so nice to have a day to myself!"

"I don't remember the last time that I got something for myself. My last $5 always goes to my kids."

About the DFS volunteers:  "Those women were volunteers?! I can't believe they volunteer to do this. I hope one day I can volunteer to help there too."

"I had so much fun today" (said with a gigantic smile)

One woman told me that her volunteer tried to get her to wear a skirt but "that was not her". She did not get a skirt but now she is thinking about how she is dressing and she said, "I know that it is a risk, but I think I am going to try a skirt."

Finally, another volunteer did her best to try to get another woman to add colour to her black and white outfit but this student would not budge. In the car, I showed this student a red scarf that we had picked up for a missing student and she said that she liked it. I said, "You like this? But it is red!" She said that she liked it and would wear it. I promptly gave it to her. Miracles do happen :)

After DFS, we went to Value Village to purchase items that the students needed for their new outfits or other articles of clothing to mix and match with their DFS outfits. Finally,we went out to lunch and headed home. We had a fashion show in the bus, in which each woman showed everything that she received/bought that day. It was empowering!!!! I can't think of a better way that I could have spent a sunny afternoon.

Employee Spotlight: Sandy Sucloy, Merchandising & Logistics Manager

Name: Sandy Sucloy

What is your role?: I am the Merchandising and Logistics Manager at Dress for Success Vancouver, which means I am responsible for coordinating all the donations that come in and go out of our shop. I also work with our volunteers in a training capacity, and assist with fundraising events throughout the year including our regular clothing sales.

Volunteer since: I was a volunteer for 6 years starting in 2004, right up to March of 2011 when I was hired as an employee.

Sandy in action!

What is the best thing about working here? First, it's working with the most dedicated and passionate volunteers in all of Vancouver. I have said this at every volunteer orientation that I have been a part of. We have the best volunteers ever and if you become a volunteer at Dress for Success Vancouver, you are one of the luckiest people ever. The second best thing about working here are the clients that we serve. These are women in many cases who are struggling to make ends meet, let alone find a job. We get to play a role in helping them reach the next step by providing them with an interview-ready outfit and some basic resume and interview skills. When they get that job, it's life changing in many cases. God, its the best thing ever. Thirdly, I love women's fashion and I get a chance to work with them everyday. It really is a great job.

Can you share a memorable moment? The most memorable moment for me is one that I speak about often. It is my very first day when I was coming up in the elevator to meet Deb and realizing that I had not mentioned the fact that I was male in my initial e-mail. The look of shock and surprise on her face was priceless and I was sure my career at Dress for Success was over before it even got started. After a few awkward moments we sat down and chatted, and I was allowed to become a volunteer at Dress for Success. Talk about life-changing. 

What do you do with your time outside of the 9-5 with DFS Vancouver? When I am not at Dress for Success, you can usually find me training at my favorite gym Sweat Co. or Barre Fitness after work. I have recently taken up chess in hopes that it helps with my concentration. I also enjoy reading about fashion and biographies, usually about those who have made a difference in the world. Speaking of which, I also spend some time taking care of an elderly parent who has made a big difference in my life.

Who is your style icon? My style icon is Karl Lagerfeld. He continues to inspire me with what he creates for Chanel, Fendi, and of course his own line of fashion for men and women.

My dream vacation would be... My dream vacation would be to return to Israel and spend more time travelling around, learning more about the culture and religions of the Middle East and all that it entails. Its also a good excuse to work on my Hebrew.

My motto is: My favorite motto would be from Coco Chanel: "Fashion fades, only style remains the same." Love that.