“Give Confidence, Hope & Style Gala” Celebrated Women Who Have Become Leaders in the Workforce
The annual Dress for Success Give Confidence, Hope & Style Gala once again celebrated women whose lives have risen from the bottom and continue to grow to fulfill a greater destiny.
Gayle King, co-anchor of CBS This Morning and an editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine, kicked off the event, saying “sometimes all we need is someone who believes in us.” And Dress for Success has been that someone to more than 925,000 women around the world since opening its doors in 1997.
One of those women is Christina Laygo, a Success Ambassador from Dress for Success San Francisco, was the keynote speaker for the evening and told her journey of being a child adopted in the Philippines and brought to the United States where she thought she would live out the American Dream. That dream turned into a nightmare as she suffered years of abuse and unexpected incarceration. Today, Ms. Laygo is loving her life and her career, and just recently purchased her first house. She was joined by nine other Dress for Success Success Ambassadors for the evening, all who were styled in Adrianna Papell dresses and shoes, as well as PANDORA jewelry.
Talbots was honored for their longstanding history to women’s empowerment. The retailer has been a supporter of Dress for Success since shortly after the organization opened its doors in 1997, providing donations of brand new clothing. Last year, Talbots teamed up with Dress for Success on an international level with the Give Confidence, Hope & Style campaign, a multi-tiered giving initiative that lent its name to this year’s gala, and has expanded on that platform in 2016 by teaming up with O, The Oprah Magazine to create a special spring collection to benefit Dress for Success. Talbots CEO Lizanne Kindler accepted the award on behalf of the brand and announced that Talbots would be donating upwards of $1 million to Dress for Success this year.
Gloria Carter, CEO & Co-founder of the Shawn Carter Foundation, was honored during the “Toast to Our Mothers” celebration as a nod to the 70% of Dress for Success women that are mothers themselves. Ms. Carter’s family produced an emotional video for the event, with quotes from all four of her children —Andrea, Eric, Michelle and Shawn Carter (aka JAY Z)—highlighting just why she was the perfect recipient for this honor.
While she undeniably has had a powerful impact on the lives of her children, Ms. Carter acknowledged the role her children had in her own life: “My kids taught me how to be strong. When you’re a single parent and you walk through the door every day and they’re expecting you to be all that you can be, they teach you how to be strong.”
The Treasurer of the United States, Rosie Rios, was a surprise guest for the evening and imparted some inspiring closing remarks to the crowd.
Actress Selenis Leyva best known for her role on Orange is the New Black, was in the audience and remarked: “By attending the Give Confidence, Hope & Style Gala, I was able to meet wonderful, strong, ambitious and kind women and hear their success stories. It is clear that Dress for Success works. These women regain their voice and power and in return give back to their communities.”
Photos from the event can be viewed on the Dress for Success Worldwide Facebook page.
