Wintertime PARK, Fla. — The Winter Park neighborhood is welcoming up a beloved nearby non- profit.
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Dress for Success of Greater Orlando lost its service nearly two years ago when Hurricane Ian swept through Central Florida. The business provides a crutch to thousands of women who have experienced domestic abuse and human trafficking. For every buyer, it’s an opportunity to begin over, and Vilma Milendez is no different. ” I’m here to get some clothing so I can go back to work and find a work.” It’s like a new beginning for me”, said Milendez.
One of the thousands of women who contacts Dress for Success Greater Orlando for assistance each year is her. The goal is to ensure that each victim of domestic violence or human trafficking may regain their lives, from work coaching to outfits themselves. ” Sometimes, I doubted myself. Starting all over again is hard, you just you just do n’t feel good about yourself”, said Milendez. ” I’m living through some tough days, but I know we will thrive”.
In 2022, when Ian hit Florida, their service was destroyed, and all the garments were lost. ” We lost anything. There was casting and the whole place”, said Joanne Febus, Exec. Director at Greater Orlando’s Dress for Success. We were restricted to entering merely with protective gear and a face mask. To say it was a problem is an exaggeration”.
In 2023, the firm was able to provide assistance to more than 3, 000 individuals. For Kimmy Landsverk, the job is private. I was wed to a really rich man. Because of a very poor marriage, he sold me into individual prostitution. I was taken out of the state”, said Landsverk. ” I was lost for 30 times, I was a product sold to private users”.
Kimmy is not alone. According to the country’s Children and Family Department, there were more than 2, 000 accounts of human trafficking in Florida in 2023 only. Finding strength after traumatic experience can be challenging for victims like her. ” It only beat up my personal- confidence. Every time I tried to find away, I kept getting knocked down”, said Landsverk. Just like many individuals, she reached up to Dress for Success for help and support. ” They see me. They hear me. They see things about me that I do n’t see”.
Central Floridians at Dress for Success Greater Orlando have access to a wealth of resources to help them rebuild their lives and succeed independently. ” It is not just about to close. However, workplace growth is extremely important for us. We offer them continue writing, job training, how to create a LinkedIn page, how to use skype GPT”, said Febus. ” We actually give them something that sometimes they ca n’t even get at home, and it’s confidence”.
Kimmy Landsverk is no longer a customer at Dress for Success Greater Orlando. She claims she wants to assist as some women as possible while she is employed by the business. I am aware of the impact my deposits have on my clients ‘ life. For me, that’s success over my kidnappers”, she said.
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