Shop for a Worthy Cause and Win!

If you live in Portland, and you are a woman, and you need more business casual clothing, you should not miss this sale. Clothing costs between five dollars and $15 and it’s all in wonderful shape, very gently used, and the kind of brands that you pay a lot more money for anywhere else. If you need another reason to come to the sale, you know that the organization, is outstanding. They provide interview outfits for women transitioning back into the workforce, support for women who are in their first 90 days of employment (which are traditionally the hardest), and job skills to help break the cycle of generational poverty.

Below is their email blast:

Amazing deals on new and gently used women’s designer clothing, shoes and accessories (All starting at $5!) ***Featuring designers like: Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Eileen Fisher, Georgio Armani, St. John’s and more! 

Accessory grab bags and raffles tickets available for purchase!

Where: 1532 NE 37th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232 – Dress for Success Oregon. Between Broadway and Sandy in NE Portland.

Parking: Available on the street or in the parking lot at the Banfield Motel.

Contact: Dress for Success Oregon at 503.249.7300 Cash and credit cards only (sorry, no checks).
Due to limited space, adults only please.
All sales final.

I’ll be there when the doors open at 10 AM, then I’ll be there again from 1 PM to 4 PM. If you see me, say hello! I was just there this week (my usual time to volunteer is the HOPE program, which meets every other Tuesday and helps support women in their first 90 days on the job), and I came away moved. See, sometimes, especially for me, it’s easy to get locked up in my own little world (I say especially for me because working from home means I have to make an effort to be out of the house) and get caught up in, for lack of a better word, first world problems. The HOPE attendees, though, do not have first world problems. They’re struggling. Some of them haven’t worked in months… for others, it’s been years. The odds are not in their favor. And yet? They keep coming. I sat at the front desk, checking people in, handing out grocery gift cards and gas gift cards (not much, but everyone was really appreciative) and looked at the sheets they were filling out. Overwhelmingly, the women in this group who were stepping out of poverty and in general trying to get it together have jobs where they are helping people worse off than they are. Think about that for a second. Tell me it’s not inspiring you to do better. To do more for others. If someone who is not yet making enough money to stop qualifying for food assistance is taking a job counseling people on parole, or working with the homeless population so they don’t freeze over the winter, surely you and I can do more. Whether you feel it or not, if you’re surfing the internet from your home computer, you are privileged. Sure, you might have more credit card debt than you want (no judgment here, I’ve been there!), but if you have the funds for home internet, you’re not receiving public assistance, and therefore, you are doing really quite well. Kudos. Look, it doesn’t matter whether you give to charity or not. I just want you to read this today, then pause, just for a second, and remember how good you have it. Then, be nice to people. Everyone is fighting their own battle. If you do feel compelled to give, Dress for Success is a worthy organization. The meeting I attended last night proved to me that this organization works. They provide a helping hand, not handouts. They empower women to use the tools at their disposal to make a good life for themselves. Donate here if you want. Put my name in the comment field (Kathleen Celmins) if you can’t come to the shopping trip. But if you’re local, you really should come shopping. I saw the stuff. It looks good.