BENEFITS WITH FRIENDS

Dress for Success outfits women for job interviews

Volunteers sort donated clothing at the Dress for Success Northwest Arkansas Boutique in Rogers. The nonprofit organization will hold a wine tasting fundraiser Feb. 2 at the boutique.
Volunteers sort donated clothing at the Dress for Success Northwest Arkansas Boutique in Rogers. The nonprofit organization will hold a wine tasting fundraiser Feb. 2 at the boutique.

Virginia Germann, the executive director of Dress for Success Northwest Arkansas, says one of the best parts of what she does is seeing the transition in women when they are first outfitted with a suit for a job interview — “seeing the spark of inspiration, the look on their faces.”

When unemployed or underemployed women land job interviews, they are referred to the nonprofit organization by groups such as Good Will Career Services, area women’s shelters and Northwest Arkansas Community College Career Services. The women work with an image consultant at the Dress for Success boutique, and then are outfitted with a suit and accessories from the boutique’s stock of donated, gently-used women’s business and business-casual attire, shoes, belts, purses and jewelry.

Wine tasting fundraiser

What: Wine stations, wine education and hors d’oeuvres

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 2

Where: Dress for Success Boutique in Rogers

Tickets: $25

Information: 273-3433 or northwestarkansas.d…

When the women land jobs, they may come back to be outfitted with a week’s worth of work attire and accessories to help them get started.

Now in its third year, Germann says the group is going to launch a workshop series designed to help women retain jobs once they get them. The monthly workshops begin Feb. 9 and will cover topics such as job readiness, the art of listening and managing conflict in the workplace.

The organization will play host to its first fundraising event of the year, a wine tasting Feb. 2 at the boutique in Rogers, which has been recently reformatted to accommodate the upcoming workshops. The evening will include wine stations by Constelation Wines and hors d’oeuvres.

Germann says there are a number of ways to get involved and help Dress for Success that include workshop sponsorships and volunteering as image consultants.

— CARIN SCHOPPMEYER

[email protected]

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