PITTSBURGH — America’s Best Cleaners (ABC), a national certification agency and consulting firm for the drycleaning and textile care industry, recently announced its partnership with Dress for Success Pittsburgh and the launch of EmpowerWear, a collaboration aimed at empowering women, supporting local communities, and promoting environmental sustainability.
In this venture, ABC will assist in the collection of gently used women's professional and casual attire via a pilot program with its local Affiliate, Owl Cleaners.
Through biannual collection campaigns and social media engagement, the EmpowerWear partnership seeks to provide professional and casual attire to women in need, helping them achieve economic independence and access employment opportunities. The pilot program with Owl Cleaners will kick off Aug. 15 and run through Sept.15, 2023.
“As an affiliation, we believe it’s important to exercise our values and find a partnership that works within the sphere of our expertise so that we can have the greatest social impact,” says Chris White, ABC executive director. “Dress for Success Pittsburgh was the right partnership opportunity for ABC, our local Affiliate Owl Cleaners, and partners Little Moon Marketing and Cleaners Supply. We are committed to making a positive impact by empowering women in the workplace and fulfilling our mission of circularity by reusing apparel in the nonprofit space. With so many women and single mothers being set back economically after the pandemic, our goal is that this pilot program will help build confidence, esteem, and success. We hope this program can be deployed to all of our Affiliate cities very soon."
“Dress for Success Pittsburgh is proud to partner with ABC through the new EmpowerWear initiative, a powerful collaboration aimed at ensuring women have the clothing and employment readiness support they need as they take the next important step in their career journey,” says Dress for Success Pittsburgh CEO Tanya Vokes. “Appropriate clothing is the basic foundation every woman needs to look and feel confident as she showcases her skills and abilities in an interview or new job. By donating items they no longer need, EmpowerWear donors are empowering local women and promoting environmental sustainability, making a real impact across the region.”
Dress for Success Pittsburgh is a nonprofit serving Allegheny, Butler, Fayette, Greene, and Washington counties in Pennsylvania. Its mission is to empower women who are entering and returning to the workforce by collecting new and gently worn women’s work-appropriate clothing, shoes, accessories, makeup and personal care items. In addition to collecting donations, the organization also operates the MGC Networking Group through which members make financial donations in support of its mission.
“Women visit Dress for Success Pittsburgh for job search, interview, employment, job training, rebuild (major life change) or court appearance attire, along with professional development resources like resume support,” says Calynn Abdullah-Donbrock, director of communications & development at Dress for Success Pittsburgh. “Our primary way of reaching women is through our mobile services events, meeting women right where they are with one of our three mobile boutiques. Mobile services events provide a solution to a common barrier faced by many women across our region: lack of access to adequate transportation. We go to community centers, faith-based institutions, trade schools, and universities with a high population of first-generation students. Items and support received through the partnership with America’s Best Cleaners will allow the team to restock our mobiles quickly to provide quality items and efficient services to women across the region.”
The partnership with Dress for Success Pittsburgh will allow dry cleaning customers to easily donate clothing via their regular scheduled delivery with ABC’s local affiliate, Owl Cleaners
“We're truly pleased at Owl Cleaners to be partnering with Dress For Success Pittsburgh,” says Owl Cleaners Owner Joe Ziccarelli. “This collaboration feels deeply meaningful to us. We believe it will significantly enhance the visibility of Dress for Success Pittsburgh's crucial services while also helping to maintain their inventory of needed items. We're eager to see the positive impacts of this collaboration unfold in our community.”
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