Ready for Success Men’s Program

The Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Ready for Success Men’s Program provides low-income men with gently-used and new business and business casual clothing, accessories and personal care items for job interviews and the work place.

The Ready for Success Men’s Program joined the ECS family in 2008 as a pilot program. Its sister program , Ready for Success, has been serving low-income women since 1997 and has been a program of ECS since 2001. In January of 2010, the Ready for Success Men’s Program graduated from its pilot status and became a permanent program of ECS.

The Ready for Success Men’s Program is unique from other clothing programs in that it provides individual appointments, personal shoppers for each client and accessories and personal care items.

Who are Ready for Success Men’s Program Clients and what do they Receive?

Clients of the Ready for Success Men’s Program are men completing job skills training and re-entry programs who are referred by case managers. These men are ready for employment and are in need of business and business casual clothing to wear to interviews and in the work place.

Clients are scheduled for a personalized session and greeted and guided through the process by experienced “Personal Shopper” volunteers. Clients get to choose from hundreds of sport coats, slacks, dress shirts, ties and shoes. These items have been inspected, cleaned and are then specially fit to clients.

After choosing items that best suite their own style, clients are then able to choose items from the “bonus rack.” These items include khakis, denim pants and collared shirts. Additionally, clients also receive new personal care items like shampoo, deodorant, shaving kits, socks and underwear.

Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
Volunteers and donations are vital to serving the clients of the Ready for Success Men’s Program.

Volunteer opportunities include being a personal shopper, clothing intake and care and fundraising.

The Ready for Success Men’s Program accepts clean, gently-used and new professional and business casual clothing. Donations of shoes, belts, khakis, socks, seasonal outerwear and undergarments are particularly needed. Sizes extra-large and larger are especially helpful as many of the clients served wear these sizes.

Please contact Gary Veazie, Program Manager, at (952) 836-6722 or via e-mail at gveazie4247@msn.com for more information about the program, volunteering or to schedule your donation.

Ready for Success: Minneapolis
425 Oak Grove Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Ready for Success: St. Paul
Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota
553 Fairview Avenue North
St. Paul, MN 55104