LYNN — A fashion show that focuses on helping people become self sufficient will celebrate its second year in November.
Succeed in Style, an initiative created by the Lynn Shelter Association (LSA), is a program that empowers members of the community to achieve economic independence by providing basic resources for job readiness. The annual event is a way for clients of the shelter and supporters of the association to work together.
“It helps clients of ours who are going out for job interviews or any sort of important appointments and getting them to basically dress their best,” said Carrolee Moore, LSA’s development and communication manager. “A lot of times these folks are very tall or very wide and they find it hard to find clothes, even at thrift stores, so we get donors providing clothes for particularly necessary sizes.”
The Succeed in Style event, which is Nov. 17 from 6-8 p.m., at Zimman’s Furniture Showroom, will have the shelter’s clients and supporters walking the runway together as models. The program is collaborating with city officials and local business representatives to ensure the event goes smoothly.
Brian Castellanos, of the Lynn School Committee, has been chosen as the fashion show’s host. For details on sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.lsahome.org/succeed-in-style-2018.
Moore said there was an LSA board member who hosted fashion shows for years as a way to bring in money, but Succeed in Style is an entirely different initiative. While it fundraises for the association and all the programs it provides, the mission is based around the clients and getting them into a different economic situation by showing them what’s available to them, all while enjoying a fun evening out.
“Sheila Maiben is a former client from the shelter,” said Moore. “She ended up getting a single room occupancy for a while and now she’s living fully in permanent housing as a board member of our association. The whole process took her a few years.”
The LSA meets the needs of their clients, no matter what stage of life they are struggling through, according to Moore. Whether it is giving someone shelter for a night, or helping someone prepare for a job interview, Moore said they have their clients’ backs.
For clients who have been on the streets for more than 20 years, Moore said it is a different process, but the shelter association does whatever it can to get the client what is needed. On the list of priorities for LSA, she said housing is number one.
“We’re looking for folks to come out and hear more about what we are doing and the impact some of our programs have had on our community,” said Moore. “At this point we are really just trying to reintroduce ourselves to our community.”
Bella diGrazia can be reached at [email protected].