Dress for Success Central New Jersey (DFSCNJ) has received a $44,409 Community Impact Grant from Princeton Area Community Foundation to fund its Customer Service Excellence, Designing Your Future and Youth Empowerment Programs.

“This grant means the world to us,” says Melissa Tenzer, executive director, DFSCNJ. “The Community Foundation’s generous support will allow us to provide critical education and development programs to hundreds of disadvantaged women and girls in Central New Jersey.”

DFSCNJ’s Customer Service Excellence program offers women practical training on business communication, effective presentation, interpersonal skills, managing customer satisfaction, electronic protocols, telephone etiquette, and conflict resolution. Designing Your Future is offered to women entering or re-entering the workforce. It hosts a series of topics to help women with the job search process and securing employment. DFSCNJ’s Youth Empowerment Workshops help prepare young women, ages 15-21, for their entrance into the workforce. As part of DFSCNJ’s Programs, all participants receive training on resume writing, job search strategies, interview techniques, and image enhancement. All workshop classes are free and open to any unemployed or under employed woman in Central New Jersey who has demonstrated an interest and commitment to improving their financial lives.

“Our Community Impact Grants are awarded to organizations whose initiatives transform the lives of low-income individuals, families, and communities,” said Jeffrey M. Vega, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Dress for Success Central New Jersey has a long record of making a difference in the lives of local women and helping them achieve economic independence. We’re happy we can help support their mission.”

Since being founded in 2007, DFSCNJ has served nearly 6,000 women and girls through its eight signature programs. The three programs funded by the Community Foundation have been instrumental in providing women with essential skills for obtaining and retaining employment. More than half of DFSCNJ clients found gainful employment after graduating from the organization’s Customer Service and Designing Your Future programs. DFSCNJ’s Youth Empowerment workshops make all the difference in the world to young women prior to entering the workforce. Mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity.