Abby Siegel-Greenberg Story By: Brenda Jorett Abby Siegel-Greenberg remembers her first Career Wardrobe client by her smile and the color purple. Arriving at the new organization’s first donated office space in 1995 timid and hunched over, the woman needed a suit to interview for a dental hygienist position. Abby had laid out all of the clothing and accessories the woman might be interested in. Abby says much more happened in the time she spent with that client. The woman talked about her life, her challenges and the job interview she was facing. When the woman put on a purple suit chosen by Abby, the woman stood up straight and proud. Abby recalls, “The smile on her face just beamed a glow of self esteem and excitement that was not there when she walked into The Career Wardrobe.” The woman landed the new job and a new start on life. Abby co-founded the organization more than 10 years ago after seeing a television segment on Chicago’s ground-breaking project, The Bottomless Closet. Officials there connected her with women from the Philadelphia area who saw the same segment. Together they laid the groundwork for an organization with a mission to provide proper interview and work clothes for women who were struggling on many different levels. “It is so rewarding now to see The Career Wardrobe surviving and thriving. There are people who ‘get’ your mission, who buy into it and are committed to it.” Abby says building the self-esteem and marketability of thousands of women referred to The Career Wardrobe through job training and readiness programs is just one step. The challenge for the future is to provide on-going services to clients such as financial seminars for dealing with earnings and savings and learning how to deal with conflict in the workplace. Abby has passed the torch to a new group of volunteers supporting the organization’s staff. She says it is fitting to know that not only are the clients coming full circle in their lives, but The Career Wardrobe is launching a new generation of worthy women in the workforce who just need that special suit, a friendly face and encouragement to help them reach a new level of success in their lives. Photographed By: Jeffrey Holder, Jeffrey Holder Photography Photographed with a copy of The Philadelphia Business Journal |
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