Standing in the holding room for the hundreds of suits and accessories donated to the new Dress for Success nonprofit are Melissa Canas (left), Cathy Colomo Riojas and Sylvia Burle. This is one of seven rooms of available clothing, along with two dressing rooms, that Riojas has donated from her business, Outside the Box, 4639 Corona in Corpus Christi. Staff photo
As Cathy Colomo Riojas led visitors on a tour of her latest — and biggest — volunteer venture, Dress for Success, her strong feelings for the organization’s purpose were clear.
She and two of the top volunteers Melissa Canas and Sylvia Burle all beamed with pride as they moved from room to room. Each space is decorated with positive affirmations and stacked floor to ceiling with donated clothing and accessories.
“We are here to help disadvantaged women get jobs,” Riojas said. “We can dress them and help them in their job searches. It’s empowering when it’s a woman helping another woman, wanting them to succeed.”
Riojas, Canas and Burle (along with about 40 volunteers) helped move Dress for Success into Rioja’s business space. Canas and Burle are employees at Outside the Box, a marketing and promotional company at 4639 Corona, Suite 9, which is now home to both the company and nonprofit. The large space has been mostly taken over by Dress for Success. They all split their time between the two entities.
Each of the hundreds of pieces of clothing that fills seven rooms and a warehouse-like space has been labeled by size, sorted by colors and types, and displayed in a way that makes it easy to shop. The jewelry and accessories are also proudly displayed, arranged on shelves and pinned on mannequins. Each of the many rooms is named a color and given a purpose in the quest for a new job and a better life.
“The Red Room is all about power and strength,” Riojas said. “The Green Room is where she will find her financial way to self-sufficiency — that is our career center.”
Thanks to grants from Wal-Mart’s Paving the Way Foundation, the Corpus Christi Dress for Success is starting out as a Level 3 career center. Someone will be on hand 15 hours a week to work with referrals on résumè-writing skills, interviewing one on one and job searches.
“It’s very exciting for us,” Riojas said, pointing out the community response to the project has been outstanding. She has received donations of clothes and money from a long list of supporters.
Time to get started
After 18 months of writing a business plan, gathering donations and setting up the space, Dress for Success is finally ready for its first referral.
“We are not a clothing closet,” Riojas said. “The only way you can get our clothes is through a referring service.”
Currently, about 12 organizations, including Goodwill and Workforce Texas, will be referring clients to the group. Each woman referred to Dress for Success will be outfitted from head to toe in a suit, shoes, handbag and even jewelry.
“We are not just outfitting women who want to go to work for a law firm,” Riojas said. “Whether she is interviewing with a law firm or Walmart, we want to make sure she looks her best. We want to make sure she looks professional and has the self-confidence and support to make sure she gets the best job.”
As executive director of Dress for Success (an unpaid position), Riojas has had to give up some of her other volunteer duties. She recently completed a term as chair of the board of directors of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She also served on the executive board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
“I’ve always volunteered,” she said. “My mother taught me you have to give to get back. And when I was little, my mother was always a great advocate of women and instilled in me that I should give back.”
As a job developer at MHMR, Riojas once referred clients to Dress for Success. She and Canas both worked at MHMR together before that version of Dress for Success closed eight years ago.
“We’re new, we’re innovative, we’re going to be different,” Berle said of the new organization.
“And she doesn’t give herself credit,” Berle continued, indicating Riojas. “She’s given nine offices, not including the two restrooms as dressing rooms, so other women can prosper.”
Canas chimed in. “I have worked with her over the years, and it has been a pleasure seeing her prosper,” she said, beaming.
Riojas just looked embarrassed. “This is a team effort,” she said. “I have a great team of ladies here, and they have done a lot of hard work.”
Corpus Christi women in need can now reap the benefits of that hard work.
For information on how to get involved and how to make donations, email corpuschristi@dressforsuccess.org.
