Dinah Williams credits Dress for Success and its networking program with teaching her and other women critical skills to reconnect to the workforce.

“It's a program that inspires and builds self-esteem to help them achieve economic success,” she said.

She was glad to be back on the job after being unemployed for more than a year.

“It was unbelievable that I had landed, that I was back,” Williams said.

Dress for Success does much more than provide women with professional clothing. It's added a career center and computer lab.

“We also have professional development workshops (ranging from) ‘Resume 101’ to ‘Are You Job Ready?’ (and) job interviews and one-on-one coaching,” said Executive Director Kerry Barr O'Connor.

She said with the economic downturn, the agency has seen a huge increase in women needing help.

“We've gone from serving 275 women annually to serving 1,000 women who've used Dress for Success for at least one service,” Barr O'Connor said. “So we've experienced tremendous growth.”

There's been a 6 percent spike in women ages 50 or older -- clients who either stayed at home and are entering the workforce for the first time or, like Williams, were working but had been downsized.

Williams is thankful she's now back in the game.

“You tend to drag. Your morale is low,” she said. “It builds your morale back up to know that I'm back at it, that I've got that opportunity, and I'm grateful for it.”

Dress for Success provides services to women at no charge, so its power walk fundraiser on Saturday, May 12 at Freedom Park is crucial to keep the agency going.

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