Dressing the part: Program helps women find right fit

FONTANA, Calif. -- As a young mother trying to make her way in corporate America, money was tight for Nancy Sterling and she didn't always have the best attire for job interviews.

Dressing the part via a high-priced department store was out of the question.

Sterling did, however, know her way around a sewing machine.

Nancy Sterling

"The only outfit I could afford was the one I could make. It was the only way I could afford to look professional and present myself well enough to get the job I wanted," said Sterling, mother of Cup driver Carl Edwards who on Thursday attended a female power lunch at the newly named Auto Club Speedway to honor two recipients of the Dress for Success program.

Dress for Success is a not-for-profit group that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by outfitting them with professional attire they otherwise could not afford.

Kaydene Bennett, 24, and Holly Ammons, 44, both of New York, were in a similar situation as Sterling. But Bennett and Ammons didn't have to take sewing lessons; instead they were treated to a business makeover at the Dress Barn, thanks to Crown Royal, sponsor of the No. 26 of Jamie McMurray, and received new laptops from the Office Depot, sponsor of the No. 99 of Edwards.

"I just didn't have the confidence to put myself out there, I didn't look good so I didn't feel good," said Bennett, who at times would wear her mother's clothes, but if those didn't work out, she would merely forego interviews.

Bennett was saddled with weight issues and, in 2002, was on the verge of being evicted from her home.

That's when she was referred to Dress for Success and after completion of the program, Bennett was fitted with a week's worth of business clothes.

Six years later, she is holding down a successful career in finance and wants to help other women afford the same opportunity she was given.

A single opportunity can sometimes make the difference between success and failure in life, said Auto Club Speedway president Gillian Zucker, who hosted the power lunch. A successful corporate woman herself, Zucker said a large part of women in today's workforce to some degree can identify with Bennett's plight

"When I started out in sports, I made $18,000 a year living in New York. I ate a lot of Ramen noodles and was the queen of thrift shopping," she said.

Which is why recognizing the Dress for Success was important for Zucker and treating Bennett and Ammons to a VIP lunch in her suite was a pleasure.

Bennett and Ammons will spend the remainder of their NASCAR weekend learning about the business that turns the sport's wheels and both hope their time around the track will pay dividends for their future endeavors.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer these women a weekend full of professional makeovers and NASCAR excitement," said Joi Gordon, chief executive officer of Dress for Success Worldwide. "We hope they will make valuable business contacts and learn from some of the brightest women in professional sports, including [Auto Club] Speedway president Gillian Zucker."

And to increase awareness for the cause, McMurray will display the Dress for Success logo on the rear-quarter panel of his No. 26 car during Sunday's Sprint Cup race.

Since its inception in 1997, Dress for Success has suited more than 400,000 women. In 2006 alone, it served 45,000 women through its more than 80 affiliate locations across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand.