As we close out 2025, we reflect with gratitude on a year defined by growth, resilience, and life-transforming impact—made possible because of donors like you.

This year began with a milestone: Working Wardrobes’ 35th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting and the launch of our refreshed brand. Community leaders, clients, board members, and partners joined us to celebrate how far we’ve come and the vision that carries us forward. That same spirit of transformation fueled every achievement that followed.

Strengthening Our Mission & Expanding Our Reach We launched the Suit Society Ambassador Program, welcoming leaders from Bank of America, Pimco, Apriem Advisors, HUB International, Orange County Business Journal, and Mark Pomerantz Luxury Menswear—each committed to amplifying our mission through leadership and partnership.

Working Wardrobes also received the 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest recognition for nonprofit accountability and openness. Your trust fuels us, and we are proud to honor it.

Our CEO, Bonni Pomush, was named Woman of the Year by OC Women2Women—recognized for her transformational leadership and her commitment to lifting others through dignity, compassion, and purpose.

 

Creating Opportunity Through Powerful Partnerships

You helped us provide career-starting support across Orange County and beyond:

  • 103 Military spouses at Camp Pendleton received personalized wardrobe services through our Power Up for Success program—45 left with conditional job offers in hand.
  • Our partnerships with organizations like Simon Scholars, Orange County Department of Education and Affirmative Athletics empowered over 1,070 clients with professional attire, workshops, and leadership development—many describing the experience as truly transformative.
  • At the Success with Purpose quarterly event, we were honored to be selected as the evening’s primary grant recipient, helping expand job readiness and wardrobe services for our clients.

Honoring a Legacy & Continuing the Work

In June, we gathered to celebrate the extraordinary life of our founder, Jerri Rosen. Her legacy was honored by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and continues to guide every act of service we provide. What began in 1990 as support for 67 women has now transformed more than 135,000 lives.

When our Wardrobe Center was impacted by a break-in this summer, the community rallied—replenishing essential items that restore confidence for job seekers. Your compassion turned a moment of loss into a profound reminder of our collective strength.

And in recognition of the workplace culture you help sustain, Working Wardrobes was named one of Orange County’s Best Places to Work in 2025.

 

Growing a Community of Supporters & Volunteers

We launched our first Style Squad Training Day, preparing volunteers to become Personal Stylists. These volunteers help clients walk into interviews with confidence—and often, for the first time, feeling truly seen.

 

 

Celebrating the Power of One Gala

This year’s Power of One Gala was a standout moment in our 35th anniversary year. With hundreds of supporters in attendance, the evening was filled with energy, inspiration, and powerful stories of transformation. Thanks to your generosity, the gala raised critical funds that directly support our job readiness programs, professional wardrobe services, and wrap-around care for clients facing significant barriers to employment.

Community Action that Transforms Lives

This year, our community stepped up in extraordinary ways. In 2025, 26 clothing drives and 21 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) events were hosted on behalf of Working Wardrobes—each one a powerful act of generosity and teamwork.

Your support also helped elevate our message throughout the region. This year, Working Wardrobes was featured widely in local and regional media, spotlighting stories of empowerment, resilience, and transformation. (Full list available on our Press & Media page.)

Your Impact: The Power Behind Every Success

Because of you:

  • Clients facing homelessness walk out with dignity.
  • Veterans and survivors step into new beginnings.
  • Young adults discover their potential.
  • Families and communities grow stronger.

Every workshop, every outfit, every career breakthrough begins with your belief in our mission.

As We Look Toward 2026…

If you are considering an end-of-year gift, please know that it directly fuels the wrap-around care, workforce readiness programs, and wardrobe services that thousands rely on.

Ways you can fuel transformation as we close out the year:

  • Make a year-end gift: A one-time donation helps power career coaching, training, and professional wardrobes that give job seekers the confidence to step into what’s next.
  • Start a mini fundraiser: Invite friends, family, coworkers, or your networks to give with you and rally around the mission.

From all of us at Working Wardrobes—thank you for standing with us, uplifting our mission, and helping our clients step boldly into a transformed future.