An Afternoon Of Empowerment With Dress For Success And TracFone #SuccessisCalling

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting an event for Dress for Success and TracFone to talk about their joint project – Success is Calling. The “Afternoon of Empowerment” left every woman that attended completely inspired to give back and to lift up the other females in the community. 

The event took place at Annisa – a downtown eatery that offered divine cuisine that my taste buds are still dreaming about – and before the official kickoff, we had the pleasure of hearing a few words from the head chef. She started off the function with a very powerful visual — growing up and remembering her two parents working the same job but having her mother make significantly less than her father. Even at a young age, she recognized this was wrong and as she developed into a successful businesswoman, that memory never escaped her.

It just made me tear up. We still aren’t clear of this issue. You know it. I know it. But we are fighting the fight one day at a time. It was so inspiring to hear her journey and how she fought through to eventually take her spot in NYC while making the decision to support women-based businesses along the way.

We were then brought face to face with several women who had personal struggles that placed them at a loss of income and the skills required to get back into the workforce. I learned something new here — Dress for Success doesn’t only help unemployed women. The company helps women looking to better themselves in any way, shape or form. If you – as an individual – is looking for a better interview skill set, then ‘Success is Calling’ will provide that to you!

These three inspiring individuals openly shared their journeys with the group of social influencers and told us just how important the ‘Success is Calling‘ program was for their advancements. Dress for Success and TracFone provided so much for these individuals as well as the other women who participated. Last year, TracFone donated $525,000 to Dress for Success through the ‘Success is Calling‘ Program as well as equipment for those going through the process.

The initial interview is critical. In fact, it’s the first step into the door for potential job placement. Dress for Success provides disadvantaged women with more than just clothing. By educating these women on how to present themselves during a phone interview, it empowers them to look and sound their best in any situation. TracFone provides women involved in the program a free smartphone and one year’s worth of service to help them navigate through the trials and tribulations of job hunting. Some of the speakers admitted this was CRUCIAL because there were times in their lives when they couldn’t afford phone service. I hadn’t thought of that before. It’s the little things that make a big difference in someone’s life. TracFone recognized that and offered up such an important component to this program!!

Overall, I was so thankful to have learned about ‘Success is Calling’. Last year, over 300 women participated and the vast majority walked away with full employment once completing the program. In fact, some were able to score jobs before their last class which is such a nice thing to hear! It’s great to know that these programs exist and that companies like TracFone are actively participating.

Have you ever been involved with Dress with Success or Success is Calling before? To learn more about these initiatives use the below links:

• Dress for Success
• Success is Calling
• TracFone