Summary: For the past twelve years, the Career Clothing Center has been outfitting women with professional clothing for job interviews and new careers. Located in the basement of Central Christian Church in Wooster, the ministry welcomes anyone needing help in this regard.
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With their own careers behind them, two local women have spent the last twelve years helping those just starting out. Maxine Fravel and Pat Kennedy run the Career Clothing Center in Wooster, which supplies free clothing to women in need of a professional wardrobe for an interview or new position. The ministry welcomes anyone who needs a little extra help, Fravel said.
The center got its start in 1999 when Fravel, a volunteer at People to People, saw that many women couldnt afford the career clothing they needed for interviews and new jobs. Inspired to help them somehow, she asked Kennedy to join her in this new venture.
The women spent days cleaning up a room in the basement of Central Christian Church to display the donated clothing that started rolling in, and have since expanded into two more rooms. The area looks like a regular clothing store, with racks of pants, skirts, blouses, shoes, coats, etc. all tastefully displayed.
The clothes come from all over, Fravel said. We dont know how people find out about us, but they do. We get really nice things. Donations of clean, gently used career clothing are welcomed and can be dropped off at the church office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Pastor Kevin Phipps is enthusiastic about the ministry housed in his church basement. We try to be a church that practices hospitality. This ministry is a wonderful act of hospitality toward its clients and the community. Im so proud of the job they do, he said.
Most clients come because they are interviewing for or starting a new job and cannot afford a new wardrobe. We never turn anyone away, said Kennedy. We always try to find something that works. I could count on one hand the times we havent been successful. She estimates that the program has outfitted about a thousand women since its inception.
The fun part is seeing the ladies try things on, said Fravel. Some have never worn anything but jeans and sweatshirts. Each client goes home with three complete outfits, plus a coat and shoes. We have everything except underwear, said Kennedy. We have all sizes and can usually find something for anyone.
Local agencies often refer clients to the Career Clothing Center, and Transitions Coordinator Melissa Schrock of the Wayne County Schools Career Center regularly brings in students from her Job-Seeking Skills classes. The program is just a perfect fit for what we do, she said. Its important to dress professionally no matter what youre interviewing for. We do a section on image, then take a trip to the Career Clothing Center. Even if they dont need clothing for themselves, the students can help their peers make selections.
Pat and Maxine give customer service with a passionit makes our students feel like theyre in a boutique. They even collect high-end shopping bags and send the clothes out all neatly packaged. I love seeing the students get excited and feel a little pampered. Its an absolutely fabulous service that they provide.
Schrock said a few weeks after their visit, the students dress up in their new wardrobes for mock interviews. Its amazing to see the transformation, she said.
Fravel and Kennedy said they find their work very rewarding, particularly when past clients bring in donations to share with others because they are doing so well. Nobody gets any more out of it than we do, Fravel said.
The Career Clothing Center is located in the basement of the Central Christian Church at 407 N. Market Street, Wooster. For more information, call 330-262-4652 or email info@cccwooster.org. The center is open Mondays from 5-7 p.m. and by appointment.
