BBQ, Blues Music and Gambling (kinda), oh my!

Please join Working Wardrobes on Sunday, October 4 for our biggest fundraising event of the year - "Blue Jeans & the Blues" at the Lakeside Lagoon in Irvine!

Put on your best blue jeans and gather your friends and colleagues for a chic but casual, high-energy evening of great music, dancing and authentic barbecue.

At the same time you'll be helping at-risk adults get back to work with dignity - can you think of a better way to spend a Sunday evening?

Here are some hightlights to expect:

* Dance to the sassy, soulful, sophisticated blues of Pamela G who is an award-winning blues and jazz singer. She and her musicians have generously donated their appearance to Working Wardrobes. Listen to her music on her website at: http://www.pamelag.com/

* Enjoy designer cocktails, wine and other beverages under the stars

* Bid on high-end items at both the silent and live auctions

* Have the time of your life in a beautiful, outdoor setting that's like a day camp for grownups. At night.

* And the best part, individual tickets are only $50 and a couple can attend for just $75!

For more details and to purchase tickets or a table, please visit our website at: www.workingwardrobes.org

We hope to see you there and we thank you for your support!

The Cabsisters of Fountain Valley Raised $200 at quarterly garage sale in support of Working Wardrobes

A huge thank you to the Cabsisters of Fountain Valley for their incredibly generous donation of $200 in support of our "Hip To Be Square" fundraising campaign! The money was raised at their quarterly garage sale and was personally delivered to our Career Center today by members Debbie and Pam (pictured left).

Their donation purchases 2 square feet of the new building that Working Wardrobes is moving into this November (more details to follow) - the Cabsisters certainly will have a place of honor on our Donor Appreciation wall!

There is seemingly nothing these amazing ladies won't do to support this organization. They have volunteered at our "Day of Self-Esteem" events, our fundraising events, donated clothing and accessories and have been tremendous advocates within the community. Their members will also soon be volunteering at our Career Center to assist with Volunteer Coordination and Corporate Outreach.

Here is some copy from a recent email sent to us on behalf of their members, "We are concerned that due to budget cuts, WW may be experiencing internal operations issues. Is there anything we can do to help? Do you need assistance with replying to emails? Putting together mailings? Answering phones? Etc.? Some of our members may be able to volunteer their time at HQ or at the Hanger locations. We truly appreciate Working Wardrobes and its mission to help adults coming out of crises to re-enter the workforce."

Truly this email brought tears to our eyes - we are so grateful for their thoughtfulness and support!

Working Wardrobes salutes Belinda Kouche with Wells Fargo Private Banking for organizing a clothing drive that went above and beyond!

This week, Wells Fargo Private Banking held their first ever Working Wardrobe clothing drive. This effort was spearheaded by Wells Fargo employee, Belinda Kouche (pictured left) and her incredible energy and enthusiasm no doubt rallied the good people at the Irvine office to look into their hearts and closets!

The outpouring of response was truly tremendous with that office along collecting over 250 pieces of high quality clothing, dozens of shoes, and some beautiful jewelry and accessories. We even received close to $300 in financial donations from those who did not have any clothing to donate - truly remarkable. We so appreciate that during these tough economic times that so many gave so freely as they know that while things may be tough for them, they are even tougher for many others living in Orange County.

When Belinda arrived at Working Wardrobes Donation Center on Wednesday to drop off all of the bounty that she and her fellow Wells Fargo staffers collected she was incredibly surprised and impressed with the scope of services we provide to our clients and she truly knew these donations went to the right place. Belinda assured us that this clothing drive was just the beginning of Wells Fargo's support of Working Wardrobes - we can hardly wait to see what this dynamo has in store for us next!

Our sincere thanks goes out to everyone at Wells Fargo Private Banking for your generosity and support!

To learn more about organizing a clothing drive or other ways in which your company can support Working Wardrobes, please contact our Manager of Community Relations,
Mary Lou Torres at (714) 210-2460 or marylout@workingwardrobes.org

Week 3 of Pilot Program with the OC Sheriff's Dept

Today was our 3rd class serving incarcerated women housed at the Musick facility in Irvine. Our class was down to 7 participants as another woman was released late last week but once again we had nothing but enthusiasm and engagement from all who were present.

This week focused on the true curriculum provided by the National Retail Federation as we begin to prepare these women to take their certification exam upon completion of this class and release from jail.

Our Thought of the Day was:

“One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try it.” - Aristotle

This resonated with the women as they feel very defensive about the position they find themselves in currently and even after release will feel like the whole world will know they've been in jail just by looking at them. We used this view point and understanding of how hard it is when you feel like you're being negatively judged and framed it from a customer service and real world perspective.

Many in the class feel that their life experiences have better prepared them to connect with people of all backgrounds and that they would be more open to people with different personalities and needs. With this in mind we learned how to get better information out of customers by using open ended questions and using the power of observation and active listening to read cues on how a customer would like to be addressed and served and even did some fun demonstrations on what not to do - our participants always love to see the facilitators act in a ridiculous manner!

As we move into our 4th week of class, we know we will be losing two more participants as they are being released. Fortunately, one of these clients has already signed on to finish this class at our Career Center in Fountain Valley. We will be sure to keep you all posted on her progress as well as everyone else in the weeks to come!

A Working Wardrobes client shares her personal experience in her own words

I was introduced to your organization after our home was lost in the Anaheim Hills fires last year.

At the time, my immediate focus was getting my son settled in his senior year of high school and gathering enough items to put a home back together.

Last week I contacted your center for help replacing my lost clothing. I now have clothing that allows me the confidence to go into a conference room for an interview and not feel uncomfortable that I am wearing my "disaster clothing." After the fire, so many people provided us with clothing - most of it too big, too small, too worn out, out of style...

I am not comfortable asking for help but I am very thankful I put my pride and uneasiness aside and reached out for the assistance you so kindly offered. The attention to detail makes the experience so positive and delightful...wrapping the items in tissue paper and presenting them in a new shopping bag gives the added touch of a real shopping spree in a regular retail environment. My so was so pleased when I came home and did a fashion show for him, he was happy to see that I did something for myself and was thrilled with my experience.

You provide not only clothing, but also empathy, comfort, confidence, dignity and the reassurance that life has so much to offer - that we can achieve our dreams and find success after whatever negative event or experience we've endured. I will forever be grateful.

- Therese Dryer Torres

Success Coach program launches this Saturday in preparation for the 13th annual Men's "Day of Self-Esteem" event

This Saturday, August 15 Working Wardrobes will launch the volunteer Success Coach program in preparation for our 13th Annual Men's "Day of Self-Esteem" event which will be held on Sunday, October 25 at Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley, CA.

In preparation for each "Day of Self-Esteem" event (3 events are held each year), Working Wardrobes deploys their crew of over 40 volunteer Success Coaches to almost 20 Partner Agencies to facilitate a 6-week, career readiness training. The Partner Agencies include domestic violence tranistional living programs as well as long-term residential substance abuse treatment programs located in Orange County, Long Beach, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.

All of our coaches are trained to facilitate Working Wardrobes "Career Success" workshop curriculum that includes topics such as: skills assessments, networking, business etiquette, interview skills and more. Although we do provide the curriculum, our coaches are all experienced in the Human Resource and/or training fields and bring tremendous expertise that greatly enhances our clients experience and ultimate success.

We are still recruiting coaches and have space available at this Saturday's training which is from 8 am - 4 pm at Working Wardrobes in Fountain Valley. If you're interested in becoming a Success Coach, please visit the Success Coach page on our website (link below):

http://www.workingwardrobes.org/coaches.htm

You may also contact Mary Ann Profeta, our Manager of Career Development as she heads up the program at: (714) 210-2460 or maryannp@workingwardrobes.org

Please join us in positively impacting these men's lives and preparing them for a successful job search!