Dress For Success Hosts Annual Glamour N’ Gears Gala

The annual Dress For Success (DFS) “Glamour N’ Gears” Gala was hosted at the Forney Museum of Transportation.

Regular attendees said that this wasn’t a typical venue for this event and that it was held in a variety of places over the years. However, the Glamour N’ Gears Gala taking place among antique cars and trains gave the event an air of being timeless and austere — a perfect setting to raise money for a good cause.  

DFS is a nonprofit organization that helps women in need by providing them with both the outfit and the connections needed to make their way in the professional world.

As those of us who have job hunted know, it is an extremely daunting task, even for the most prepared person — let alone for someone who is coming from a background of poverty, imprisonment, or just financial hardship.

Their mission statement is to, “Help unemployed and underemployed women achieve economic independence by providing no-fee programs, development tools, and professional attire to thrive in work and in life.” 

The benefit evening was opened with speeches from program leadership and a heartwarming video about how DFS has affected the lives of women in the Denver area.

Then, a decades-themed fashion show was held, showcasing women who had been helped and uplifted by the program, strutting their stuff down the makeshift runway — “These are real women on the runway”, said one of the speakers. Following the show was an ask for donations and a live auction held by the Auction Diva, Shelly St. John.  

DFS has helped over 20,000 women since its launch in 2006 and continues to do so while distributing over a million dollars worth of professional wear for free to those in need.

They recently opened their Butterfly Bus, a version of their free shop on wheels, and they take it to areas where women may need help achieving economic independence.

In addition to their distribution of professional wear, they also provide zero-fee career coaching, networking opportunities, and seminars on job readiness and retention (Going Places Network (GPN) and Professional Women’s Group).

DFS’s impressive statistics speak for how successful their support groups are — 83% percent of those who go through the GPN secure jobs and 68% of women who go through their combined programs retain their jobs for a year or more.

Needless to say, DFS has continued to provide ongoing support for women for over a decade and their Glamour N’ Gears Gala is proof that they’re not slowing down anytime soon.

All photos courtesy of Dress For Success, by Ellen Jaskol.  

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