Agency Details:

Clothes The Deal

Clothes The Deal a non profit agency that assists men, women, and at-risk youth in transition, empowering them to interview with confidence, gain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Description:
>Clothes The Deal maximizes the value of the $300 suit by giving it to a deserving job seeker who will use it to find employment. For $35, we can clothe a job seeker with the proper clothing to raise the recipient’s self-esteem and make a strong first impression on the interviewer.
We work with more than 66 agencies throughout Southern California, supplying clothes for them to distribute to their job ready clients.
Clothes The Deal facilitates Dress To Impress Workshops by giving additional job training skills regarding, confidence, business etiquette, appropriate wardrobe attire, accessories, and skin care.

History:
Clothes The Deal was founded by Ann Gusiff, who was inspired by a Chicago organization called Bottomless Closet. Ann wrote Clothes The Deal's first business plan as part of an MBA–level class at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
In 1997, Clothes The Deal was recognized by the IRS has a 501 (c) (3) organization. Working solely out of Ann’s garage, Clothes The Deal distributed 18,000 articles of clothing to more than 4,000 individuals. The following year, Clothes The Deal moved their operations out of the garage and into a space at LACOE's facility in Downey, California.
In 2000, the founder of Clothes the Deal retired, and Deborah Brusavich became President. Soon after Deborah became President, Clothes The Deal opened its first thrift store in Lomita, California. During this time, Clothes The Deal outfitted its 25,000th jobseeker.
In May of 2004, Clothes The Deal collaborated with Neutrogena and Los Angeles County Office of Education to conduct its largest conference for 300 jobseekers who are in the process of making the transition from welfare to work. Called "Work it Conference", the conference included valuable workshops, on the spot interviews with notable area employers, and suit fittings for all attendees.
By 2006, Clothes The Deal, had expanded its partnership with LACOE by becoming the primary clothing provider for participants in its GAIN and GROW programs. This allowed Clothes The Deal to expand its staff in order to accommodate the demand. During this same year, Clothes The Deal decided to facilitate the Dress To Impress workshops on a smaller scale, to various partnering agencies that were in need of additional services.

Clothes The Deal continues to grow and has distributed over 187,000 pieces of clothing to over 47,000 individuals. The workshops will be a great asset to the ever growing organization and value the support of its sponsors and partnering agencies.

Contact people:

Brad Brusavich, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email) Vanessa Isetta, Program Director, (phone), (email) Deborah Brusavich, President, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (562) 922-8636
Office fax number: (562) 803-8230

Address:

9525 Imperial Hwy. Downey, CA 90242 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.clothesthedeal.org/

Last updated on November 19, 2009