GREENACRES — Dress for Success Palm Beaches (DFSPB) has made a major move. Headquarters now is a storefront in a bustling Greenacres shopping plaza: River Bridge Centre, at the highly accessible crossroads of Forest Hill Boulevard and Jog Road. The new 6836 Forest Hill Boulevard location is 6,032 square feet, yields 50% more space than where it was based the past six years, and was completely renovated to accommodate the range of fully free services and programs that the organization provides in its mission to empower women to achieve economic independence.

            Central to the space is the nonprofit’s signature “boutique,” which offers head to-toe wardrobe needs for women who are headed to job interviews or have obtained employment. It is filled with rows and rows of donated clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, belts, scarves, undergarments and even makeup. But it is an expansive training room that is the jewel in DFSPB’s crown. It occupies nearly as much real estate as the “boutique” and answers what has become a growing need for the job readiness sessions, and career coaching and advancement seminars that help DFSPB live up to its promise of being “More Than the Dress.” The new location also enables the organization to separately accept, sort through, and inventory merchandise that is donated weekly by appointment. It’s a processing system that now can be done simultaneous to other activities that are occurring without disruption thanks to back door drop-off access at the plaza. Additionally, offices for the four-full time and one part-time staff have been created, along with a well-equipped breakroom/kitchen for on-site volunteers and various meeting needs.

            “We’ve been planning for this move for almost two years, and the time is finally here for us to take this leap,” said Joe Ann Fletcher, DFSPB’s CEO. “Aside from the fact that we were bursting at the seams in our previous location and larger quarters were a priority, there are so many other benefits to this relocation.”

She continued, “The bus stop for several of the north-south/east-west bus routes is literally right in front of our main entrance. There’s tons of available parking and it’s well-lit at night which means we can explore the possibility of offering more evening services and events. River Bridge is loaded with other commerce and enjoys robust foot traffic, which means greater exposure for our Dress for Success brand. And, we’ll now more comfortably host programs scheduled in our training room because it’s double the size, whereas before we had to cram attendees into the space with some spilling out into our lobby.”

            Fletcher credits the generosity of many funders and donors who stepped up to make this new base of operations covering Palm Beach, Broward and Martin counties a reality. She said the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation helped get the ball rolling with a $125,000 grant. They’ve been joined by Karen & Ray Masciarella and the W Bradford Ingalls Foundation, The Neil S. Hirsch Foundation, The Quinn Family Foundation, plus individual donors including Ellen Gorringe, JoAnne Greiser, Dee & Tommy Hilfiger, and Susan Levine, among others. What’s more, according to Fletcher, DFSPB’s annual Style for Hope Fundraising Luncheon held this past March netted over $350,000, and a portion of that has been allocated, as well.

A Warm Greenacres Welcome & Ribbon Cutting

            An October 22^nd Grand Opening Reception and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony co-hosted by the City of Greenacres officially inaugurated the space. Addressing the more than 70 guests in attendance, Deputy Mayor Susy Diaz remarked that, “The relocation of Dress for Success’s headquarters right here in our River Bridge Centre is a wonderful addition to our community. River Bridge continues to attract a variety of well-known businesses, reinforcing its role as a hub for commerce and opportunity. We wish DFSPB much success and longevity here in our great city. In the spirit of our new tagline, ‘Grows with You,’ we look forward to growing and thriving together.”

The crowd additionally heard from special guest of honor, Worldwide Dress for Success CEO Joanie Bily, who praised the Palm Beaches affiliate for demonstrating impressive growth over the 15 years since it was established. “This chapter’s responsiveness to the needs of the community is exemplary,” said Bily, who leads the organization of more than 130 affiliates around the world. “What is equally remarkable about Dress for Success Palm Beaches is that for the past four years it has sustained a satellite location in Belle Glade, bringing its basic suiting and career coaching to the underserved western agricultural communities. It was set up during COVID and has become a valued resource for women there.”

The move to Greenacres was facilitated by Good Greek Moving & Storage.

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  About Dress for Successâ
Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to 130+ chapters in 25 countries. To date, Dress for Success has helped more than 1.3 million women work toward self-sufficiency. The local affiliate Dress for Success Palm Beaches opened its doors in April, 2010, to serve a community where the poverty rate for women is 20.9%, and in that time has assisted more than 8,000 women through job readiness courses and its defining wardrobing program.