Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 17, 2023

Contact: Megan Goins

Marketing and Communication Specialist

513-322-1786 

Mgoins@dfscincy.org  

 

Dress for Success Cincinnati Announces 22nd Annual Fashion Show 

CINCINNATI: Dress for Success Cincinnati is delighted to announce their 22nd Annual Fashion Show on Wednesday, September 13th, 2023, at the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. The event will include a celebration of Dress for Success clients, a presentation of seasonal fashions and a Portaluca Boutique pop-up shop. The Co-Chairs for this year’s event are Meredith Blum and Lauren Gucciardo.  

Dress for Success Cincinnati empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. 

Meredith Blum: Meredith Blum has served Dress for Success Cincinnati as a volunteer and committee member since 2014. She is a Senior Integration Consultant at Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), a financial services technology company, and an active member of their women's resource group, Empower. A graduate of Miami University, Meredith has spent the majority of her career in management consulting serving Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. She is also a 2021 graduate of the YWCA Cincinnati's Rising Star Board Leadership Program and a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Lauren Gucciardo: Lauren Gucciardo is Senior Brand Manager at Totes Isotoner Corporation, a global family of fashion and accessory brands based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lauren is delighted to apply her background in fashion marketing and business to support the mission of Dress for Success. As the proud mother of two beautiful children, Lauren believes that improving communities starts with supporting women. Lauren is a champion for equality and inclusivity in all that she does. 

Tickets will be available for purchase in June. Please follow Dress for Success Cincinnati on social media and subscribe to their newsletter to stay up to date. Sponsorships are available. Please contact Alex Morton-Green for more information at 513-322-1789 or alex@dfscincy.org. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: 

Megan Goins 

Mgoins@dfscincy.org  

Laura Berkemeier 

Lberkemeier@lifelearningcenter.us 

 

Dress for Success Cincinnati and The Life Learning Center of Covington, Kentucky Announce a New Partnership 

CINCINNATI: Life Learning Center (Covington, KY) and Dress for Success Cincinnati (Norwood, OH) announce their partnership which brings the Dress for Success Cincinnati StyleHER Program to the Life Learning Center facility. This program will provide services to under-employed and unemployed women in Northern Kentucky. 

The mission of Dress for Success (DFSC) is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools to help them thrive in work and life. DFSC believes each woman deserves the chance to dream and reach her potential because when she does, her impact on her family and the community will be profound. 

According to recent studies, adults in poverty are three times more likely to be arrested than those who are not in poverty. In fact, around 72% of women are in poverty prior to being arrested. The City of Covington, where Life Learning Center is located, has a significantly higher than average percentage of residents below the poverty line (one out of every four) compared to the rest of the Commonwealth of Kentucky which has a poverty rate of 18.3%. Furthermore, a study of the formerly incarcerated found that employment was the single most important factor in decreasing recidivism, or a person’s likelihood to return to jail. Life Learning Center, is directly reducing the recidivism rates in Northern Kentucky; in 2020, the recidivism rate of LLC graduates was reduced to 38%, while graduates also enrolled in the Jail Substance Abuse Program (JSAP) through the Kenton County Detention Center experienced a recidivism rate of 28%. This is a stark contrast from the national average of 83%. 

To achieve these outcomes, LLC delivers a holistic, integrated continuum of education and care to help our “at-risk” citizens step up to their highest potential. We are building a caring and serving community by helping people learn, secure and sustain a better way of living through gainful employment. The people we serve become healthier, happier, and more productive individuals working to change their future. In short, we are enabling individuals to achieve personal success and secure a living-wage career. 

Life Learning Center (LLC) was founded with the belief that every individual should have the opportunity to live up to their highest potential, regardless of where they are in their life journey. LLC delivers Foundations for a Better Life™ which is a 12-week program focusing on five domains of life: Physical, Financial, Spiritual, Emotional and Relational. In order to complete the program and be recognized as a graduate, Candidates must complete the 12-week education program, maintain drug-free status and obtain employment. Life Learning Center’s holistic approach directly impacts Candidate outcomes and has proven a successful model for nearly 3,000 Candidates since 2006. On average, 43% of the Candidates served at LLC are female; the SyleHER program is a unique addition to the center’s already robust continuum of care offerings. 

Through Dress for Success’s StyleHER program, women receive a personal styling experience that inspires confidence and provides a complete interview outfit, or ten mix-and-match items to start out their new employment, free of charge. This satellite DFSC StyleHER Program will not only be open to women participating in Life Learning Center's programs but will also be available to all women in the Northern Kentucky area. Since relocating from downtown Cincinnati to Norwood in 2021, this satellite location allows more accessibility to their services for Northern Kentucky residents. This partnership is another step toward DFSC’s vision of a world where women do not live in poverty, are treated with dignity and respect, can strengthen their families and shape their communities. 

“We are ecstatic to offer Dress for Success’ styling services in another location and to make our services more accessible for women in the surrounding areas of Cincinnati,” Dress for Success Cincinnati Programs Director Dr. Angela Rivers-Harper said. “Our goal is to expand our services beyond our main location so that we can meet the needs of each and every woman we interact with. We are looking forward to this partnership with the Life Learning Center as well as serving the women of Kentucky." This partnership was made possible with generous funding from the Jody Yetzer & Alexander Kayne Family.

Dress for Success Cincinnati and Life Learning Center will hold a Grand Opening announcing this new partnership on Thursday, February 16 from 3-5 p.m. The public is welcome to attend to learn more about Dress for Success Cincinnati’s Styling Services, tour the Life Learning Center and connect with representatives of both organizations. The opening will be held at Life Learning Center, 20 West 18th Street, Covington, KY 41011. 

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Contact: Alex Morton-Green 

Development Director

July 18, 2022 

513-322-1789 

amorton-green@dfscincy.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Dress for Success Cincinnati Announces 21st Annual Fashion Show 

CINCINNATI: Dress for Success Cincinnati is delighted to announce their 21st Annual Fashion Show on September 20th, 2022, at the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. The event will include a celebration of Dress for Success clients, a presentation of seasonal fashions from the Wingate Collection and a special commemoration of Dress for Success Cincinnati founder, Mary Ivers. The Honorary Chair this year is Danielle Lewis Jones and the presenting sponsor is Western and Southern Financial Group.  

Dress for Success Cincinnati empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. 

Honorary Chair Danielle Lewis Jones, MBA: Danielle is passionate about living life on purpose. She actively seeks and enacts ways to help others be their best. Ms. Lewis Jones graduated from Florida A&M University with a degree in Public Relations and earned her Master's of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati. While working at Fifth Third Bank as the Vice President and Senior Public Relations Manager, she still finds time to give back to the community. She is active in many organizations, including the African American Professional Advisory Council at Cincinnati Children’s. Danielle has also been recognized with many awards, including Cincinnati Children's MLK Jr. Humanitarian of the Year. In 2015 after the death of her infant son, she started the Angel Baby Network to help families cope with the devastating effects of child loss. She has served on the StarShine Hospice board, the advisory board for Cradle Cincinnati, and the LifeCenter Organ Donor family advisory council. Danielle is also a two-time published author. Ms. Lewis Jones enjoys spending time with her family and her friends. She believes that every day is a gift and there is a lesson to be learned through all of life’s experiences.  

 

Event details & tickets: 

10:30am: Registration and Raffle 

12:00pm: Luncheon, Program and Fashion Show 

Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati Ballroom: 1000 Broadway Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 

Complimentary self-parking is available on site. Must be 21 to attend. 

Tickets are $100 per person before September 1. After September 1 they are $125. 

$200 for a Friend ticket (includes name in program book) 

Tables of ten are $2,000. Patron tables are $3,500 and include VIP seating near the runway, recognition in the program book and website and an invitation to the VIP party. 

Tables and Individual Tickets can be purchased at: https://dfscincy.org/news-and-events/fashion-show/ 

The Presenting Sponsor is Western and Southern Financial Group. 

Sponsorships are available by contacting Alex Morton-Green, 513-322-1789, amorton-green@dfscincy.org 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 28, 2022

*CONTACT: sparker@dfscincy.org (513) 322-1786*

DRESS FOR SUCCESS CINCINNATI AND THE CARE CENTER OF LOVELAND ANNOUNCE A NEW PARTNERSHIP OFFERING DFSC STYLING SERVICES AT THE CARE CENTER.

*Cincinnati, Ohio: Dress for Success Cincinnati, now located in Norwood, and The Care Center in Loveland, announce their partnership plans to utilize The Care Center’s facility for Dress for Success Cincinnati’s StyleHER Program*

Dress for Success Cincinnati will begin offering its StyleHER Program to clients at The Care Center in Loveland. Through DFSC’s StyleHER program, women receive a personal styling experience that inspires confidence and provides a complete interview outfit, or ten mix-and-match items to start out their new employment, free of charge. Through this new partnership, DFSC’s StyleHER Program will be available at The Care Center to all women in the area looking to utilize our services.

"We are ecstatic to offer Dress for Success’ styling services in another location and make our services more accessible for women in the surrounding areas of Cincinnati,” Dress for Success Cincinnati Programs Director Dr. Angela Rivers-Harper said. “Our goal is to expand our reach and work with more women through this new partnership.”

The Care Center of Loveland is located at 11020 S Lebanon Rd in Loveland, Ohio. The Care Center offers resources for the whole person including job assistance programs, life development workshops, and one-on-one mentoring and coaching. The Care Center offers all of these resources under one roof for DFSC clients being styled at the facility.

“Our mission is about helping people thrive in life, and one critical way we do that is by helping them reenter the workforce,” Executive Director of The Care Center, Greg Knake, said. “We also have a high value for not trying to recreate the wheel, and we instantly identified that Dress for Success Cincinnati already had a model that was successful. It is a perfect fit to incorporate Dress for Success Cincinnati’s services in what we do.”

Dress for Success Cincinnati and The Care Center will hold a Grand Opening announcing this new partnership on Wednesday, March 9 from 3-5 p.m. The public is welcome to attend to learn more about Dress for Success Cincinnati’s Styling Services, tour The Care Center and connect with representatives of both organizations.

Get involved: Dress for Success Cincinnati invites you to support this partnership as a volunteer or financial donor. This new location will need volunteers to work one-on-one with our clients as personal stylists, sort clothing donations and organize the style studio. Additionally, our

financial donors make everything that we do possible. Consider donating to support DFSC at our new satellite site by visiting dfscincy.org/support-get-involved/donate-money.

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