The unemployment rate is 8.2%. I’ll bet you want to do something about it – and you can.  Here is a simple action item.  Go through your closet, pull out all of the professional attire you don’t wear – suits, shoes, accessories, and give it to someone who has landed a job interview but cannot afford professional interview clothing due to the very fact that they are not employed.
 
This year marks the seventh year that FedEx has supported Dress for Success Washington, D.C. as the founding partner of the Congressional Challenge. The Congressional Challenge encourages the right kind of competition on Capitol Hill – House vs. Senate – to see who can donate more. The Senate was named the winner during the last event, while the House ruled in 2009.  It’s anybody’s game this year with everybody winning.  We have helped collect more than 3,400 items of clothing from the Capitol Hill community. 
 
You can look into how to donate women’s clothing locally by going to dressforsuccess.org/.  From there you can also look into helping like the FedEx Women’s Network has, providing workshops, mentoring and coaching to the Professional Women’s Group, a key initiative of the Dress for Success program.  Finally, if you have men’s clothing, check here for places to make drop-offs www.careergear.org/about/locations/ and think about starting a challenge of your own.