We are fast approaching the 2022 Working Wardrobes annual fundraising Gala, Growing Through the Decades. This annual fundraiser celebrates OC charitable giving with a night beneath the stars that we dedicate to the individuals that have planted the seeds of donations, support, and encouragement throughout the years and decades — seeds that have bloomed into changed lives, now and for generations to come.

Donors that have joined the Rebuilding Careers Coalition represent those that are the most dedicated to the mission of Working Wardrobes. These donors give $100 or more every month, funding the many career readiness programs that Working Wardrobes offers. 

This year, during the 2022 annual fundraising gala, Working Wardrobes will honor supporters who have been instrumental in supporting the mission of getting job seekers back to work over the last thirty years. Representing the Rebuilding Careers Coalition will be Toni and Terry McDonald, longtime friends of Working Wardrobes and some of the organization’s most enthusiastic supporters.

OC Charitable Giving with ToniandTerryMcDonaldToni and Terry McDonald and the Rebuilding Careers Coalition

While Toni and Terry McDonald have been longtime supporters of Working Wardrobes, this year, they led by example by accepting the invitation to join the Rebuilding Careers Coalition. With their membership in the Coalition, they are taking a stand to lead OC charitable giving and be part of creating a sustainable solution right here in our community.

Toni and Terry have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place, and it is truly the delight of Working Wardrobes to honor their philanthropic priorities by empowering others with workforce readiness assistance. 

Earlier this year, we recorded a podcast episode with Toni and Terry, where they told us about their upbringing, which instilled in them the habit of philanthropy.

“I grew up in a family that definitely valued giving donations,” says Toni. When she learned about Working Wardrobes years ago, she was thrilled because she knew she had plenty of clothes to give. She has even admitted to donating clothes, buying them back at The Hanger, and then donating them again!

Toni spoke about how she values philanthropy because generosity helped her during her career. When she began teaching in Southern California, she noticed that not all children had money to pay for lunch. However, she met a woman who made it her mission to gather and hand out food to children without money for lunch. This moment stood out to Toni as an example of how one person could make a difference in so many people’s lives.

Terry believes that philanthropy begins with making the conscious choice to be generous. “One of the things that makes it easy for us to give is that we made the decision early on that a nice enough house is good enough for us to live in,” he said. “A Mazda was good enough, we didn’t need a Mercedes. We looked at our extra resources and realized that we didn’t need extra money, but other people did.”

Because of their generosity, and the generosity of all of those that joined the Rebuilding Careers Coalition, Working Wardrobes can provide career readiness resources to individuals throughout Orange County — resources like customer service training, IT certification, follow-up job retention services, access to the career resource center, and much more.

Register for the 2022 Working Wardrobes Gala Today!

This year’s event takes place in the gardens of the Bowers Museum on September 24. We invite you to participate in Growing Through the Decades by purchasing a seat, a table, or by sponsoring the event. Join us for a cocktail hour, world-class dinner, dancing, and silent auction. Make sure you register today to be alerted when the auction goes live. (You do not need to attend in-person in order to bid and win!)

To get involved, visit here.

 

 

About Working Wardrobes

Working Wardrobes empowers and prepares individuals for the dignity of work. Founded in 1990 by Jerri Rosen, Working Wardrobes serves approximately 5,000 job seekers in Southern California and beyond each year. By providing no-cost assessments, training and certifications, career coaching, individualized employment plans, and wardrobe services, we have helped over 115,000 clients overcome barriers to employment and The Power of a Paycheck™. For more information, please visit www.workingwardrobes.org.