SAN ANTONIO – With so many families in and around San Antonio struggling financially due to the pandemic, some nonprofits in the area are trying to help get people back to work.
And one of those organizations is Dress for Success San Antonio.
“It’s been challenging and we’ve learned to navigate and overcome, while some nonprofits were closing their doors. We did stay open to serve clients in our community and help them work through the pandemic,” Stephanie Shokrian, interim executive director of Dress for Success San Antonio said.
Over the course of the pandemic the local nonprofit has helped hundreds of people get back to work.
“It’s a really great process here, we have been open since the onset of the pandemic without any interruptions doing curbside, and we also do assessments in our facility. So the way that it works is you can come by referral process or just walk in. Either way, it’s perfectly fine. And you’ll come in, you’ll get an assessment and orientation to our programs. After that, we’ll figure out exactly what your needs are, what your employment goals are and we’ll help you from there,” Shokrian said.
Even though the facility is filled with a variety of career clothes, Dress for Success San Antonio does more than just line you up with a professional outfit.
“We do so much and so much more means resume building, so that you can land that job. It also means navigating the digital employment world. In today’s world, there’s no longer the paper application. You’ve got to go online, fill out the application, fill out the personality assessment. And how do you do that when you are really in a moment of crisis or tragedy? You don’t have the Wi-Fi, you don’t have the cellphone to do it. You come to us, make an appointment, come on in and you can use our computers. Our internet service will help you build your resume and help you get on the right track,” Shokrian said.
The facility also has more than three rooms filled with clothes.
“Our clothes come to us from our community donors. We have absolutely fabulous donors in our community that just bring us loads and loads of clothes. We also have great partnerships with Calvin Klein. We have Ann Taylor who has been really good to us. Several stores that are local and nationwide will bring us donations. We get all kinds of great stuff,” Shokrian said.
The program doesn’t just help single individuals, it also helps the future of the families.
“It is generations. And what that looks like is sometimes not really having the tools or the resources to find another way. So we offer them enthusiasm, encouragement and support to shine light on another way,” Shokrian said.
For those interested, there are always ways to help out.
“The greatest way to help out is to go ahead and check out our website. Click on our events page and see what events are going on that you’d love to be a part of. We have our annual fundraiser gala in October where it’ll be held at the St. Anthony Hotel. It’s going to be a beautiful evening with a live auction and will help out the greatest cause of all right now, which is getting people back to work in our community,” Shokrian said.
If you have any questions about the events or want to learn more, click here.