All month long we’ll be highlighting stories of people giving back to their community during the holidays. In today’s post, Elite’s founder, Karen Sussman, is sharing why giving back is so important to her and how she is dedicated to serving others.
As we wrap up the year, I’ve recently been thinking about all that I have to be thankful for. I feel incredibly grateful for the love, support and opportunities I’ve shared with family, friends, colleagues and clients this past year, and I look forward to seeing how these relationships continue to grow in 2019.
If there’s one other thing that tops all others this year, it’s been working with WHW’s Orange County chapter. WHW helps domestic violence survivors, at-risk youth, veterans transitioning back to civilian life, and so many other job seekers get the skills and resources they need to gain sustainable employment. WHW is making such a huge difference in our community. By helping the unemployed gain employment, these individuals are now able to afford safe housing, access healthcare and provide a stable environment for their families. They are impacting Orange County in such an important way.
Here’s some of the styling I do with WHW’s job seekers.
My work with the organization includes volunteering as a personal stylist for job seekers and helping them find the perfect interview outfit. I also sponsor the organization’s Suits for a Cause event, their annual gala and I am a member of their 259 Club, where members donate $259 or more to provide one job seeker access to all of WHW’s programs for a year. These programs include: Employment Readiness Workshops, Computer Training, Job Placement Assistance, Employment Retention Support and Professional Apparel.
The people who benefit from the organization’s programs are incredible. I recently worked with one domestic violence survivor who was living in a shelter with her two children after she had left her abusive husband. With all that she had been through, she was so appreciative and grateful for my small part in styling her interview outfit. She must have thanked me ten times, but really, I am the one who should have been thanking her. It brings me pure joy to see the happiness and confidence a job seeker has when they find their perfect interview outfit. I am so moved by their stories and am honored to work with this organization.
Volunteering with WHW has been – and continues to be – such a gift. I have been very fortunate in my life and being able to give back to an organization that does so much for so many people brings me joy. To learn more about WHW and how to get involved in one of their programs, click here.