Post written by Jane Hunt, former inaugural CEO at Fitted for Work.
A big thanks to the hundreds of people who showed their courage by dressing up for Dare to Wear Day on 30 March. And a big thanks to the 1592 people who made donations. Together we raised $87,302.22 – a mammoth increase from last year’s total of $36,000. Your support means that we can assist a further 794 women through our service. Check out the pictures on Dare to Wear Day and on our Facebook page.
There’s a lot happening during the month of May at Fitted for Work, including a Life Skills Training Program in Morwell from 22 May, an in-house clothing sale in Parramatta on 25 and 26 May and an Open Night in the Melbourne boutique on Thursday 30 May. Check out the ‘What’s happening’ section of our newsletter to find out more.
We’ve also had some great feedback from our Referral Agency survey conducted by our corporate supporters IBM. 97% of the agencies said they would recommend and refer our service to their clients. There were many, many wonderful comments made like this one.
My client had lost her job due to an incident which brought her in to Victims of Crime. After some counselling we discussed her going back in to the work force which she was very keen to do. Like many women who have not worked for a period of time she was short of funds. Although she had the skills for the job she felt her presentation let her down. Her confidence was lacking. I spoke with her about Fitted for Work and booked her in for an appointment. The lovely ladies took great care of her. The result was my client felt really confident and after just one interview she gained the position. Her life has started all over again and she’s well on her way to recovery. Thank you so much.
Other recent highlights include a 20% increase in clients in Melbourne during the months of March and April, three local media stories and more volunteers in Morwell and a refresh of the Parramatta service under the guidance of our new Program Manager, Liz Montgomery.
Finally, we’re wrapping up our finances for the end of the financial year and in budget planning mode for the year ahead. To ensure we meet our targets to help even more women through our service next year, we’re working hard on the launch of our Annual Appeal. Stay tuned!
We’re committed to keeping you up-to-date on what’s happening at Fitted for Work and how your support is making a difference to our clients. If you have any feedback or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you by email at [email protected] or phone on 03 9620 5533.