" WOMEN ON THE ROAD TOWARD SELF-SUFFICIENCY" OUR PROGRAMS HELP WOMEN TRANSITION TOWARDS SELF-SUFFICIENCY BY ADDRESSING THEIR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC NEEDS IN RELATION TO WORK, HOME, AND THE COMMUNITY. EACH WOMAN IS A SUCCESS STORY. SHE HAS GONE FROM UNEMPLOYMENT TO ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE. FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2009, SEVEN CLIENTS GAINED FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT. WE CELEBRATE OUR CLIENTS SUCCESSES!
unemployment to self-sufficiency.
As CEO of Hold Your Head Up, Rachel Grady leads an organization that has made a difference in the lives of more than 400 low-income women. Founded in 2008, the organization provides business-appropriate clothing, mentoring, and professional development services from more than 6 locations across the Raleigh-Durham areas in North Carolina.
Rachel is a visionary and entrepreneur, who at one point in her life felt helpless due to a long illness and recovery from a brain tumor. This mother of two young adults has faced many obstacles but never gave up. A great fulfillment came through volunteering and helping people in the community. God brought her through this very difficult time in her life. These trials and tribulations brought forth an extraordinary idea. This idea was the birth of “Hold Your Head”.
The Hold Your Head Up tag line is "From Turning A Suit into a Career." Stepping Stones to Self-Sufficiency.
How has that shaped your business strategy? We started a source for suits to help women get into the workforce. A professional appearance is an important element to helping women gain economic independence. It puts the woman on equal footing with the employer in the interview. For the month of July eight of our clients have landed full-time employment. An Element to helping women gains economic independence. It puts the woman on equal footing with the employer in the interview.
Today, we are so much more than suits. Our organization addresses many issues affecting women in the workplace. A women needs to look and feel professional-yes. But if she truly is going to be successful, she needs help with all faucets of life-caring for her family, managing her career, developing her self-
assurance.
How do you help clients develop skills needed to succeed in the workforce? We focus on building women’s self-esteem and self-worth. If a woman has a relapse in employment and has been out of the job market for a while, she probably has lost confidence, perhaps has gained weight, or maybe she has child care issues. We help her deal with challenges.
For women with no work experience and limited skills, we work with 20 nonprofit employment training organizations. When a woman has completed one of these training programs and has a job interview scheduled, that nonprofit agency contacts us to set up her “suiting” appointment. Before she meets with us, we know the position she is interviewing for, her suit size, and more. So if she is interviewing for a position in banking, we fit her with a conservative, traditional suit. We give her professional outfit customized to the style of the store or industry she wants to work in.
Each woman that walks through our doors is greeted by a volunteer. She is treated with dignity and respect. We spend as much time as she needs to help her find her “power suit”-a suit that makes her feel professional and that fits her personality and the job.
What qualities make someone more likely to be successful? Self-motivation. If a woman doesn’t get a job, she keeps going. She doesn’t wait for someone else to find her a job, she keeps going. She looks on her own. She doesn’t
give up. She starts with an entry-level position, but continues her education and training to better herself-always preparing to take the next step to life.
Today, employee engagement and job retention are hot topics.
What roles do these issues play at Hold Your Head Up? We teach each woman to understand the value she brings to the employer. Our women start in entry level jobs. They know that other people around them are making more than they are, and can become discouraged. They often associate value with compensation.
We continue to reinforce the idea that whatever position you have within a company, whether you are a sales clerk, a receptionist, or in the mail room, you are an important part of the organization. Company, whether you are a sales clerk, a receptionist, or in the mail room, you are an important part of the organization.
If you don’t come to work, something doesn’t happen. At any level within a company, your position is valuable and needed to get the job done. If you don't come to work, something doesn't happen. At any level within a company, your position is valuable and needed to get the job done.
We stress the importance of recognizing where you are, reaching for where you want to be, and taking advantage of opportunities to get you there.
What are some of your biggest challenges? Working women, especially mothers, need to know there barriers. They need to have a”Plan B’ for when the kids are sick or the car breaks down. We also teach our clients and our own employees the importance of having a sense of balance in their lives, especially a work/life balance. Finally, you have to be true to yourself, to your company, and to your family. But most importantly, put you first and everything else will fall into place.
In the last year, Hold your head Up has expanded the services offered to clients.
What is your "total solution"? Our focus today is on post employment training. We want to ensure that our women are successful in the workplace. Women initially come to us for a suit and self-confidence, and find that they are given support for a lifetime.
Our Professional Women's Group (“A Women’s Voice”) program provides ongoing professional development and mentoring. These groups meet monthly and feature guest speakers discussing financial planning, communication skills, the written and unwritten rules of the workforce, and other employment retention-related topics. A networking component allows our clients to share and grow with each other. It’s a real peer support group. Current members naturally become mentors.
What keeps me going is that the organization is still young and growing. We have lots to do. Hold your head Up has a unique ability to tap into the strength of women-both the strength of the clients and our volunteers.
How do you see the organization changing in the next 10 years?
I see greater concentration on employment retention. Over the next 10 years 80% of our focus will most likely be about helping women get to the next professional level. For us, it is important for women to keep their jobs and begin to build their careers. For some, that will involve going back to school, getting higher-level training.
We want to be part of helping each woman define her own success. Success doesn’t mean working your way up the ladder. For some women, success may be having their children graduate from high school-something they never did. We want to be part of helping woman define her own success.
Having women define and achieve their own success will take
us much further than just giving them a suit. We genuinely care about a woman’s ability to succeed and will do anything we can to make it happen. Seeing our clients join leadership workshops, go back to school, or get a raise gives us our greatest joy. Giving a woman a suit is a great place to start, but it’s not about a makeover for an interview-it’s about a life makeover.
Hold Your head Up always has a shortage of suits, especially sizes 12 and up.
Donations are accepted on Thursdays from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM @ 401 W. Cabarrus Street in Raleigh, NC. For more information or to become involved, visit the Hold Your Head Up Web Site at www.holdyourheadup.vpweb.com. 
Your loss is our gain!! There is a Great Need for...
Plus Size clothing on a year round basis. A great opportunity for those who are successfully losing weight and dropping sizes to donate your old clothes and help others on their 'New' start.
- Sizes 16+ (suits, blouses, slacks, etc.)
- Shoes- all sizes in Wide
Small and Petite Size Clothing
Another great need is petite size clothing, which will help serve a growing clientele of smaller size women.
Women
- Shoes- sizes 5-6 1/2
For any questions about donations, please call the office at 919-402-6984 or email us at holdyourheadup@ymail.com.
What You'll Receive:
- Our heartfelt thanks and the satisfaction that comes from helping hundreds of women get back to work
- Tax deductible receipt for your donations
Drop Off Location For Donations 401 W. Cabarrus Street Raleigh, NC On Thursdays 1PM-3PM Call To Arrange For Pick-Up 919.402.6984
We thank you for your generosity and support!
Empowering Women Transforming Lives. "Turning A Suit Into a Career"
Wish List
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Hold Your Head Up P.o. Box 11005 Durham, NC 27703 (919) 402-6984
