#GIVINGSHOESDAY RETURNS TO DRESS FOR SUCCESS WITH NEW PARTNER FERGIE FOOTWEAR FOR #GIVINGTUESDAY

Dress for Success is turning #GivingTuesday into #GivingShoesDay once again on Tuesday, December 3, to honor this national day of giving.  For the second year in a row, #GivingShoesDay encourages women to donate their professional shoes to one of over 50 Dress for Success affiliates across the United States.  But supporters of Dress for Success won’t be the only ones giving on this distinguished day of charity—the top 10 shoe donors across the country will receive a complimentary pair of limited holiday edition Palace heels from Fergie Footwear.

Joining the ranks of post-Thanksgiving campaigns such as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, #GivingShoesDay proved to be a tremendous #GivingTuesday success for Dress for Success, with almost 450 pairs of shoes donated through the organization’s nationwide network of affiliates dedicated to helping women reenter and progress in the workforce.  Having a complete outfit that a woman feels confident in is the key to making a good first impression in an interview setting and, therefore acquiring a new career, making the need for shoes ever-important to this organization.

“My dream has been to design a one-of-kind limited edition shoe for the holidays, and this year we finally made it happen,” said Fergie. “Because this is such a special design, I thought it only appropriate to share them as a gift with inspiring women across the country. The retail proceeds from this limited edition shoe are benefiting one of my favorite charities, Dress for Success.”

Fergie Footwear, owned by Brown Shoe Company, is known for fashion-forward footwear that captures the essence of the eight-time Grammy award-winning artist and style icon, Fergie Duhamel, who is not only a force in the music industry, but also a respected entrepreneur and committed philanthropist. Her debut solo album,
“The Dutchess,” spawned five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, three of which went to number one.

The fire-engine red Palace heel is the latest in the Fergie Footwear line and this lively, limited-edition pump is perfect for the holiday party season.  In addition to awarding the top 10 #GivingShoesDay donors with a pair of Palace heels of their own, Fergie Footwear is also donating 40 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this shoe to Dress for Success through the beginning of the New Year. The Dress for Success affiliates that are participating in #GivingShoesDay are:

·         Albany, NY

·         Atlanta, GA

·         Austin, TX

·         Bakersfield, CA

·         Billings, MT

·         Boise Valley, ID

·         Boston, MA

·         Brookhaven, NY

·         Burlington, VT

·         Central Virginia

·         Cincinnati, OH

·         Columbus, OH

·         Corpus Christi, TX

·         Dallas, TX

·         Des Moines, IA

·         Dutchess County, NY

·         Fort Wayne, IN

·         Hampton Roads, VA

·         Honolulu, HI

·         Houston, TX

·         Indianapolis, IN

·         Kansas City, MO

·         Lackawanna, PA

·         Lexington, KY

·         Mercer County, NJ

·         Miami, FL

·         Mid-Fairfield County, CT

·         Midwest (St. Louis), MO

·         Missoula, MT

·         New York, NY

·         Northwest Arkansas, AR

·         Peoria, IL

·         Pittsburgh, PA

·         Racine, WI

·         Red River Valley, ND

·         River Cities, WV

·         San Antonio, TX

·         San Diego, CA

·         San Francisco, CA

·         San Jose, CA

·         Seattle, WA

·         Shreveport, LA

·         Sioux Falls, SD

·         South Central (Harrisburg), PA

·         Southern Nevada, NV

·         Southwest Florida (Ft. Myers), FL

·         Tampa Bay, FL

·         Tulsa, OK

·         Washington, DC

·         Worcester, MA

“Through her music, Fergie has always empowered women to be their strongest, most confident self and we love that she is continuing that same messaging through her footwear line, as well,” said Joi Gordon, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide.  “Our partnership with Fergie Footwear provides an enticing incentive for women to give back on #GivingTuesday, but more importantly, it will also help Dress for Success get even more women back to work.”

To participate, women can check the Dress for Success affiliate page atwww.dressforsuccess.org/affiliates to find the address of the closest participating location and simply bring their shoes to that boutique on Tuesday, December 3.  For those who would like to donate shoes for #GivingShoesDay, but are not near an affiliate to drop-off the donation, the professional footwear can be sent to the Dress for Success Worldwide warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, where donations of clothing, shoes and accessories are always accepted.  These shipped donations must arrive byDecember 3 to be considered for #GivingShoesDay, with a note stating that #GivingShoesDay is what the shoes are being donated for.  Additional information on Dress for Success and #GivingShoesDay can be found atwww.dressforsuccess.org.

A special thanks to Katie Murphy at Dress For Success Worldwide