About Suited for Change

1010 Vermont Avenue, Suite 900 Washington DC 20005 Tel: (202) 293-0351 Fax: (202) 293-0353

Facts about Suited for Change

MISSION STATEMENT

Founded in 1992, Suited for Change provides professional clothing and ongoing career and life skills education to low-income women to increase their employment and job retention potential and to contribute to their economic independence. Our services are available at no charge and by referral only to low-income women who have completed job readiness programs and are seeking employment.

Suited for Change is a founding member of The Women’s Alliance , a national organization of independent community-based “sister organizations” who provide professional attire, career skills training and related services to low-income women seeking employment.

Clients come from the District of Columbia , Maryland , and Northern Virginia and include homeless women, survivors of domestic violence, teen mothers, senior citizens, former offenders, and those who have overcome addiction. Suited for Change “suits” more than 100 women each month. Since our founding in 1992, Suited for Change has helped more than 13,000 area women transition into the workforce.

WARDROBE CONSULTATIONS:

Suited for Change works in partnership with more than 163 job training and social service agencies that provide free job training and/or job counseling to low-income women throughout the Washington , DC metropolitan area. Clients are referred by their caseworker when they have completed a job readiness program and are actively seeking employment. To make certain that our clients receive personalized attention and leave our office with increased self-confidence, each client meets one-on-one with a trained volunteer at an appointed time. Women receive two complete outfits for the interview process. When they secure paid employment, they are referred for a second consultation at which they receive an additional three outfits and related accessories, giving each woman a week’s wardrobe to begin her new life.

Suited for Change’s Professional and Lifeskills Development Program (PLD) provides clients with skills needed to secure and maintain professional employment and foster personal growth. This series of seminars is designed not only to help our clients find living wage employment, but also to retain those positions and advance in the workplace. Topics covered include resume preparation, interviewing techniques, professional image and etiquette, financial management, workplace ethics, and health and nutrition. Seminars are led by experienced professionals from a broad cross section of business, government and nonprofit organizations throughout the metro area. These generous volunteers enrich participants’ experiences by adding their practical experience to Suited for Change’s tailor-made curriculum.

Clothing is donated by professional women and organizations throughout the DC metropolitan area during monthly clothing drives and personal appointments at the Suited for Change headquarters. We also receive donations directly from retailers and manufacturers. Click here for a list of clothing donation dates and times as well as a list of items that we will and will not accept.

Volunteers contribute to all facets of our operation, providing essential service hours and offering a vital link to the community. We rely on the generosity of more than 200 volunteers on a daily, weekly, monthly and as-needed basis to assist with wardrobe consultations, career seminars, clothing drives and inventory management, fundraising events, and other projects.

Suited for Change is a 501 c3 private non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia. It is governed by an active and committed volunteer Board of Directors. A professional staff of four oversees all aspects of program operations, which are carried out thanks to a large and dedicated group of volunteers. Throughout its 15-year history, the work of Suited for Change has been made possible by the generosity of thousands of individual donors and volunteers from Washington, DC, northern Virginia and suburban Maryland as well as hundreds of partners and donors from area civic, professional, fraternal, educational and religious organizations; nonprofit institutions and organizations, government agencies, and businesses. Donations to Suited for Change are tax deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law.