Dress for Success in Hartford
Sara Avatapalli
Gary Roman, Chair of the Community Service Committee, presents $1,000 check
to Sara Avatapalli for grant to Dress for Success programs.
Heather Pantano, who has been involved with Dress for Success for several years, introduced Sara Pavatalli as our speaker. Sara received her B.A. in Biology from Clark University and her Masters in Science Education from St. Joseph College. She did biomedical research for 13 years at UConn Health Center and Executive Recruitment for 5 years in the Fashion Industry as well. She lives in Canton with her husband Adam, and her greatest joy is her 8 year old son, Bennett.
One of Sara's primary goals is to ensure Dress for Success Hartford becomes recognized as an organization promoting the economic and social development of women while expanding the organization's reach so that more and more women across our state will have access to their Employment Readiness and Employment Retention programs to succeed in the workplace.
Sara presented a video to inform us about Dress for Success (DFS). We learned that Covid often created greater challenges for women than for men in terms of employment, because they are often newly hired and more responsible for children and home. DFS helps women in various locations around the world. Women they help may be homeless, abused, lacking marketable skills, or out of the work place for many years. DFS wants to give clients a second change. The organization was begun in 1992 in a New York city basement. They help women develop skills and confidence and work with them to find employment. In addition to helping women to have attire appropriate to a job and an interview, they help clients with resumes and application letters. 76% of the women who work with DFS gain employment in a short time.
The group in the picture have completed the Employment Readiness Program that DFS offers several times a year. Since Covid changed things all programs have been offered virtually, which makes it easier for many women to participate. DFS is the only organization in the state which works with clients throughout their entire career and gives them additional skills such as financial literacy, time management, and fitness. They are located across the street from Hartford Stage. They also work with 140 programs in the state, such as shelters or job corps, to offer their services to women who want to get back to work. Their focus is to help women who truly in need of a job.
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