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For many of the women Dress For Success Houston serves, when they participate in a nonprofit suit program, it is often their first time wearing a suit.
DFSH President Lauren Levicki Courville said that once they received the coat, many of the women who participated treated it as an honor.
“Just by wearing a blazer, you immediately see their confidence, transformation, engagement, and relationships with other women,” says Courville, “and their confidence only grows when they land the job.”
DFSH’s goal is to create systemic change by providing the resources women in the Houston area need to achieve work and long-term success. The nonprofit provides professional attire and offers career education and job retention programs. It also partners with more than 150 member organizations, which include community groups and colleges, to refer those women who may be appropriate for the program.
During the holiday season, nonprofits are soliciting donations of women’s professional clothing to residents through December 10 and will be accepting donations again in January 2022. For more information on how to donate, visit dfshouston.org or call 713-957-3779.
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During the holiday season, nonprofits are soliciting donations of women’s professional clothing to residents through December 10 and will be accepting donations again in January 2022. For more information on how to donate, visit dfshouston.org or call 713-957-3779.
According to Courville, the highest need for nonprofits today is handbags and closed-toed shoes.
Once the participating women find work, they return to DFSH for an additional eight pieces of professional attire and are invited to join their professional women’s group.
“That’s where the magic happens,” Courville said. “This is a support network, another community of women, where they meet at least four times a month and learn not only about professional development but also mind, body and spirit, health and fitness, financial and legal literacy, and we have scholarship and mentoring programs. .”
“By being around other women who want to build you up, your confidence grows,” says Courville. “It’s just a beautiful community.”
Courville has been president of DFSH for nine years and was previously a volunteer and board member of the non-profit youth professional group, Women of Wardrobe. Courville’s mother, Nancy Levicki, was a co-founder of the Houston DFS chapter which began in 1998.
“The majority of the women we serve are between 35 and 60 years old,” says Courville, “But we serve just about anyone who will attend an interview, job fair, or complete an educational course, or is a veteran. .”
For veterans, DFSH offers special service days for those transitioning into the civilian workforce.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first began in early 2020, DFSH shifted its focus to mental health awareness and educational resources for women already connected to nonprofits.
The pandemic caused many citizens to lose their jobs and several non-profit member organizations focused on meeting the basic needs of the community, causing referrals to decline. With more and more women staying at home, DFSH provides educational programs, such as how to teach them to always be there for their children while they are learning virtually.
“For many women in our education program, we are their only stable factor,” Courville said.
The nonprofit is also partnering with HEB to provide pantry pick-up to help reduce food insecurity for many of their women.
According to the nonprofit, during the pandemic, they helped provide support for more than 370 women and organized more than 20 virtual workshops. They have also sent 720 women COVID-19 resource guides and helped procure 200 women’s meals and kitchen utensils.
Courville said that the COVID-19 pandemic is helping to hinder the progress of the nonprofit’s mission.
“The ceiling we’ve broken, is now sort of back on it and the barriers that women have always faced, especially single women, have only increased during the pandemic,” Courville said.
“Now that schools are back in person, we are seeing an increase in serving new women in our community,” she said.
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