Debbie Rootman has been a volunteer style consultant with Dress for Success Vancouver since shortly after we opened our doors in 1999. Debbie first heard about Dress for Success Vancouver when she was on the Temple Sholom Sisterhood Board and they decided to send a group of volunteers to Dress for Success Vancouver each month. “I remember the early days in the jam-packed stuffy upstairs of a church building on Main Street,” she said.
From our early beginnings Debbie has seen a lot of growth. “It’s not just one outfit and goodbye anymore. Now we can provide them with so much more,” said Debbie. “The support of all the programs is so significant. It’s not just getting the job, with all the programs that Dress for Success Vancouver offers; it’s also all the emotional support to succeed at the job.”
Volunteering is an important part of Debbie’s life and her faith. “I do believe in Karma, what goes around comes around,” said Debbie. “It’s also one of tenants of Judaism — Tikkun Olam which means repairing the world. Where we see a need we try to fill the gap,” she said.
When the opportunity to volunteer with Dress for Success Vancouver came to Debbie, she was thrilled to combine her passion, her skills and her faith with her volunteer role at Dress for Success Vancouver. She studied and worked in fashion merchandizing and as a personal fashion consultant. “I love helping women to feel good about themselves,” said Debbie.
Along with her faith and her experience in the fashion industry, Debbie also has a personal connection to the cause. ” We see a lot of single moms at Dress for Success. I was a single mom and I got a lot of help through the YWCA single mother’s support group,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done without it.”
Every month Debbie loves coming in and working with our clients. “It’s very rewarding to see the change in the women in one hour. Have someone focus on them and tell them they look good. It fills me up,” she said. “Women want to be helpful and share their abundance and share their time. It helps you feel good when other people feel good.”