Empowering women and girls through apparel, advice and advocacy is the daily focus of Wings For Success supporters.
Six women -- Cecily Getz, Kathy Smith Granahan, Beth Heft, Marianne Plucienik, and Laurie Todd -- chose to make a difference in the community during 1997 by gathering women’s clothing and assembling $600 in seed money, which is how Wings For Success took off.
The original Wings team contacted local social service agencies and job training programs that worked with women transitioning to the workforce. Using their own vehicles, they transported clothing to these agencies to help women prepare for interviews and employment. During that first year, they outfitted several dozen women, formed a board of directors, applied for nonprofit status and signed their first lease in West Chester at 326 North Walnut St.
Also during that first year, Wings held the first community clothing drive sponsored by West Chester University and Parkway Cleaners.
Jill Laufenberg, Wings executive director, says they're still going strong with community support. In fact, during 2020, Wings outfitted 342 clients with necessary medical scrubs and nurse shoes for their employment.
To support this nonprofit, join them on Sept. 30 for their Wings & Wheels virtual event or their in-person West Chester event with live music, buffet dinner, silent auction/raffle and test drives from Porsche of the Main Line / RDS Automotive Group.
WINGS BOLSTERS CAREER, ECONOMIC STABILITY
Compassion
Independence
FAST FACT 1 Only program of its kind in Chester County.
FAST FACT 2 In 2020, Wings served 1,036 women, a 22% increase over 2019; served 14,000-plus women since its founding.
FAST FACT 3 70% of Wings' clients come from collaborations with 80-plus partner agencies related to domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness, education, job training, food insecurity and youth development.
FAST FACT 4 Wings’ clients range in age between 12 years to 65 years old, but majority are between 25-44.
FAST FACT 5 Operates through four staffers, 11 Wings’ all-volunteer board members and 120 active volunteers together contributing 10,000 to 12,000 hours annually.
info@wingsforsuccess.org
610.644.6323
Kennett Square Office: 345 Scarlet Road
Frazer Office: 490 Lancaster Ave.
WingsForSuccess.org