Help the “Men in Blue” of Ready, Willing & Able Dress for Success

Submitted by: Kathleen Mullin, Deputy Director of Development, Ready, Willing & Able

Guys, we all know you have a suit that has been hanging in the back of your closet for a while.

This month, you can put that suit, and other gently used professional wear, to good use – outfitting Ready, Willing & Able’s “men in blue” for success. 

Starting September 1 and continuing throughout the month, Men’s Wearhouse is accepting donations of men’s professional wear and directing items to at-risk men, who are seeking full-time work and financial independence. Ready, Willing & Able is one of three recipients of clothing that will be donated to the twenty-eight Men’s Wearhouse stores in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Ready, Willing & Able trainees – distinguished by their trademark blue uniforms – remove nearly 8,000 bags of trash from the city’s parks and public spaces every year, including Fairmount Park, LOVE Park, and Rittenhouse Square. They also clean three of the city’s homeless shelters, maintain 650,000 square feet of vacant land in North Philadelphia, and provide sanitation services to 30 blocks within the American Street Empowerment Zone.

This paid transitional work is the first step they take in Ready, Willing & Able. They graduate upon securing full-time employment, independent housing, and maintaining lasting sobriety.

LeeRoy Jordan, Ready, Willing & Able Program Director, believes that being well-dressed allows the men to exude the self-confidence needed to market themselves to employers and to be proud of their accomplishments – having overcome homelessness and addiction.  “Our partnership with the National Suit Drive helps our men dress for success.  The full-time jobs they acquired are the ultimate means to true independence and self-sufficiency,” said Jordan.

So, why not donate that suit in the back of your closet TODAY – and help a man work his way toward becoming a responsible father, taxpayer, and role model in his community again.

For more information, please contact Kathleen Mullin, Deputy Director of Development, at Ready, Willing & Able, at 215-732-3781 or kmullin@doe.org, or visit www.rwaphiladelphia.org.