The ladies at Dreams to Reality help their clients love the woman looking back at them in the mirror.
Dreams to Reality is a Jefferson City nonprofit that offers a week's worth of free business clothing to clients who include victims of house fires and domestic abuse, as well as those who cannot afford proper attire for job interviews.
The staff of almost 40 volunteer professional image consultants help pick out clothing and accessories that fit their clients' careers and personalities. Executive Director Lorie Smith said she is always looking for more consultants with a caring spirit and eye for style.
How to donate
Questions may be directed to Ann Bax, president of United Way of Central Missouri, at 636-4100 or ann.bax@unitedwayce…."When you put on clothes, you get a reaction from yourself," said Delsa Byrd, a former Dreams to Reality client. "You look in the mirror, and if you've got the right thing on, you know you're looking good and you can step with confidence. Thanks to Dreams to Reality, I've got my self-worth again."
Sharon Kirchoff and Faye Zumwalt founded Dreams to Reality 16 years ago because they realized how many women in the area struggled to purchase an adequate supply of professional clothing. Smith said some women take their extensive wardrobes for granted, but those going through financial difficulties or transitional periods in their lives can struggle to assemble a suitable outfit every day of the work week.
Dreams to Reality provides clients with enough clothing and accessories for a week, Smith said. It has the right look for many different career fields, carrying jeans, shirts and dress suits, along with jewelry and purses. High heels, steel-toe footwear and slick-proof shoes are available so clients can comfortably work in any environment.
Clients must be referred by one of more than 50 United Way of Central Missouri member agencies. This year, it has served 236 women, with an expectation of at least 16 more before the new year. The operation is funded by the local United Way, private monetary and clothing donations,
and profits from the in-house boutique. The clothing boutique is open to the public from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8 a.m.-noon the first Saturday of each month. The organization has also donated clothing to the Salvation Army, El Puente Hispanic Ministry and the clothing closet, and Metro Business College.
Byrd came to Dreams to Reality's new location this past summer to find clothes for her new job as receptionist at Central Missouri Community Action of Callaway County. She wasn't sure what to expect from the experience.
"At first I was scared to death," she said.
The new building at 500 Jefferson St. was designed by Gara Loskill with an atmosphere that feels like a normal clothing boutique. Professional image consultants are instructed not to let a client leave without everything they will need. Volunteers consider what is appropriate for the client's job and pick out a few items to try on. Then they work together to find items that best complement the client's personality, while making them feel comfortable and professional.
"I needed a complete makeover because I just didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. The clothes that I put on, I just didn't feel good. (The volunteers) said, 'We are going to pick out some stuff for you, and you just try it on.'"
She was skeptical whetherwomen she just met could know what she would like - classy, flowing, loose-fitting clothing. But after a while, she was having a great time finding new looks that reflected her career future and not the past she'd left behind.
Byrd is eight years sober. Born in Fulton, she moved to Detroit in elementary school and did not come back until about 20 years ago. She returned addicted to alcohol and crack cocaine. A decade of joblessness, family problems and arrests passed before she sought treatment at the McCambridge Center for Women in Columbia. Sobriety was only the first step in her recovery. Her relationship with her son, Darrell Sanders, 28, needed mending; her health had deteriorated over the years of substance abuse; and she had to find work to support herself.
Through love and determination, Byrd has managed to pull her life back together. She is now a happy mother, grandma and born-again Christian working to be a positive example for her family. "When you're an addict, everyone suffers," she said. "(My son) is very proud now, but it was a rough road."
Worshipping the Lord has replaced her desires for drugs and alcohol. The congregation at the Fulton Church of God in Christ provides her the support she had at the McCambridge Center.
"My mom has come a long way," Sanders said. "It's given me the drive and determination to be better at what I do. I have a son I have to take care of. I want our bond to be as strong as me and my mom's."
Byrd found work at Production Products manufacturing, but she was forced to leave when carpal tunnel syndrome developed in her hands. Another two years of unemployment went by before a member of her church recommended the employment placement program at Experience Works, which found her a job as the receptionist at CMCA.
She enjoys her new work and likes meeting and helping people. But as the first person visitors see when they walk into the office, she needed clothing that would positively represent the nonprofit. CMCA Family Development Specialist Pamela Mallinckrodt referred Byrd to Dreams to Reality.
Byrd now shops at the boutique to help give back to the organization that gave her so much.
"They brought me out of my shell," she said. "They helped me to not only be able to put an outfit together, they did something for me on the inside, and for that I will always be grateful. They really put their effort and their love into helping the women that come there. If you have an open mind and you allow them to do their work, they will have you coming out of there feeling like a queen, because I did."