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Northwest Forest Conference Center was bustling with Houston’s best-dressed professionals Sept. 20 for the Fourth Annual Black Bag Affair,The 10 Best gucci handbags for cheap! a fashion show and luncheon that benefits the Houston chapter of the non-profit organization Dress for Success.

This year, the Black Bag Affair raised $13,000 and collected 50 interview-appropriate black handbags for Dress for Success Houston.

“We have a variety of attendees, from hospital administrators, to case managers to marketing professionals; so it’s kind of a mix. This event is growing every year,” said Gigi McCorkle, community ambassador at Silverado Senior Living.

Silverado, along with Dillard’s, Kindred Healthcare, Cole Home Health, Legend Healthcare and Houston Solari Hospice Care, sponsored the event.

Since opening its doors in 1998, Dress for Success Houston has provided business clothing and career counseling for more than 35,Replica designer handbags buy, a big push to the fashion industry?000 women in the Bayou City, according to the organization’s website.

“I think [dressing well] is one of the most important factors in job placement. And I think that’s one of the goals at Dress for Success: to give their clients an opportunity to at least have a step ahead and above by being dressed appropriately,” said Gloria Legington, a retired vocational educator and volunteer for Dress for Success since 2007.

The main event of the luncheon was the fashion show, featuring Houston healthcare professionals wearing business attire provided by Dillard’s. KPRC Local 2 reporter Amy Davis emceed the event.

The last model to walk the runway was Joannell Jones, a special education teacher for Cypress Independent School District and a success model for Dress for Success Houston. Jones gave an emotional retelling of the story of her relocation from her home in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and how Dress for Success Houston helped her get back on her feet.

Before the storm hit, Jones picked her daughter up from the university she was attending in Baton Rouge and drove to Houston,Success of bike saddle Business Rides on Comfort! reluctantly leaving her elderly parents behind. She had one change of clothing and her car.

A Houston family paid for a hotel room for Jones and her daughter until they could figure out what to do next. Jones wanted and needed a job but was unsure of what to do.

“I was very ashamed,” Jones said. “I had the desire but no motivation.”

It was when she walked up to the Dress for Success table at a Katrina relief exhibition that Jones said her life turned around. She said the ladies at the table “greeted me with open arms” and said “we can help you.”

“I first walked into Dress for Success with my head bowed down,” Jones said, her voice cut short by emotion. “I couldn’t imagine that I could receive the help that I needed.Vintage Stores: shop chanel bags For Old School Flair!”

But Jones did receive the help she needed, and she went on to land a paraprofessional job with Cypress ISD. She joined Dress for Success’ Professional Women’s Group program and even attended a Worldwide Success Summit in Washington, D.C.

“You give me a little help and I will lead the way,” Jones said.

Jones also took financial leadership classes through Dress for Success, which she said helped her clean up her credit and buy a house. She said she is now happy to call Houston home and that she will always be grateful for the opportunities Dress for Success Houston gave her.

“My mountains have now become valleys,” Jones said. “Because of Dress for Success and the staff, I have the determination and motivation to help other women.”