West Virginia Junior College to Help Students

Dress for Success

On Thursday, September 10, Room 102 of West Virginia Junior College will be commandeered as a make-shift clothing shop for the day.

In coordination with YWCA Past & Present gently used clothing shop, the College has arranged for donated business attire (formal and casual) to be made available to the students here at the school. The purpose of this program is to provide students with an opportunity to collect inexpensive interview-ready and career-appropriate attire and/or accessories. All proceeds from the sale go to the YWCA.

Rose Winland, Student Services Coordinator for the Junior College, and Karin Hamer, Store Manager of the YWCA Past & Present, are collaborating together on this effort. West Virginia Junior College Students are preparing for office careers, including general, medical and legal environments. “While it may be cliché, it is certainly true that individuals who ‘dress for the position they want, not for the position they have,’ tend to find this among other strategies they employ to achieve success in the business community. Our goal at West Virginia Junior College is to assist the students in obtaining the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in both professional and personal environments – and the ‘Dress for Success’ program is a way to further that goal,” Rose shares.

Julie Tawney, Career Services Director, adds, “Our upcoming graduates will have first choice of the selections for interviewing purposes, and it is our hope that the polished wardrobe will give them a little bump in self-esteem when they meet potential employers.”

The YWCA of Charleston provides shelter, case management, counseling, education, job training, childcare and much more for thousands of women and families in need in the greater Kanawha Valley each year. To assist with its goal of moving each client to self-sufficiency, the YWCA operates two retail operations to help offset program costs: YWCA 2nd Seating (gently used furniture and homegoods) and YWCA Past & Present (gently used clothing and accessories). Proceeds from YWCA Past & Present support the operations of the YWCA Alicia McCormick Homes – ten transitional housing apartments for battered and homeless women and children who are transitioning to independent living. Clothing from the store is also provided to YWCA clients free of charge as needed through an organization-wide clothing voucher program. Last year, 432 adult vouchers and 180 child vouchers were redeemed by homeless women and families in need in our community.

West Virginia Junior College provides Specialized Associate Degree training in fields that offer employment opportunities in the regional marketplace, including: Computer Information Technology, Legal Office Administration, Medical Assisting and Secretarial, and Business Administration. Starting in January of 2010, the College will also offer a Dental Assisting program.

In the spirit of the YWCA and on behalf of students working to create better lives for themselves and their families, donations of business attire and accessories would be greatly appreciated. They can be dropped off directly at the YWCA Past & Present shop, located at: 1598 Lee Street, East, Charleston, WV 25311 or, if it would be more convenient, they can be taken directly to West Virginia Junior College marked deliverable to Student Services Coordinator, Rose Winland, 1000 Virginia Street, East, Charleston, WV 25301.

This first Dress for Success Day is intended to launch a recurring program that will be scheduled once every 12 week quarter. Comments or suggestions regarding the Dress for Success Program can be addressed to Rose Winland, Student Services Coordinator, West Virginia Junior College, via e-mail: rwinland.wvjc@gmail.com.