MAHWAH, N.J., March 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ascena
Foundation is proud to announce that the 2018 Roslyn S. Jaffe
Awards nomination period is officially open. The ascena Foundation,
a charitable organization established by ascena retail group, inc.,
is built on making a meaningful difference in the lives of
others.
The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards Program, now proudly in its fifth
year, aims to empower and provide financial support to
organizations who are making a meaningful difference in the lives
of women and/or children in communities across the United States, specifically in the areas
of health, education, social reform, leadership development and
esteem.
"When we started dressbarn decades ago, our goal was to reach
working women, which wasn't really being done at the time," says
Roslyn S. Jaffe, Co-Founder of
dressbarn and Secretary & Director Emeritus for Life of ascena
retail group, inc. She continues, "Once the company began to grow,
we recognized the importance of supporting women and children who
didn't otherwise have the means themselves. Through the Awards
Program, we learn about so many wonderful people who run
organizations that can benefit from our grants and the exposure we
provide. I am so thrilled that what started as such a small idea,
has grown into a program that's now five years strong in supporting
everyday heroes."
A trailblazing female entrepreneur, Mrs. Jaffe began her career
in 1962. As a working mother, she recognized the need for a
convenient one-stop-shop that offered value-based and
fashion-forward wardrobe solutions for busy women like herself. It
was then that Mrs. Jaffe opened the first dressbarn store in
Stamford, CT, eventually growing
it into ascena retail group, inc., a multibillion family of brands
including Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou
& Grey, maurices, dressbarn, Lane
Bryant, Catherines and Justice. The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards
honor Mrs. Jaffe's entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to giving
back, while also encouraging entrepreneurs to give back to their
local communities.
Mrs. Roslyn Jaffe alongside her
daughter, Elise Jaffe, and an
esteemed selection committee with expertise in women's causes,
public affairs, health and education will select the three winners
based on five criteria: their organization's impact on low-to
middle-income women and/or children in the U.S., use of innovative
and entrepreneurial approach, scalability, and ability to leverage
the funding and visibility of winning the Jaffe Awards to grow, as
well as the ability of the winner and other members of the
organization's leadership to create and advocate the organization's
vision.
"As the award comes into its fifth year, it's truly amazing to
look back and see how many lives have been touched," says
Elise Jaffe, Senior Vice President
of Real Estate at ascena retail group, inc. and Executive Sponsor
of ascena Cares. She continues, "We are so proud to continue to
honor individuals who, like my mother, are able to make lemonade
out of lemons – people who are making extraordinary efforts to
change the world."
Winners of the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards have all founded exemplary
organizations, each positively impacting women and/or children in
low- or middle-income circumstances, both in their local
communities and nationwide. The 2017 grant recipients were:
- Appetite for Change ($100,000
Grand Prize Grant Recipient)
Appetite for Change uses food
as a tool to build health, wealth and social change in North Minneapolis. Led by Michelle Horovitz, LaTasha Powell and Princess Titus, its programs include community
cooking workshops, urban agriculture and organized food policy
efforts.
- Found in Translation ($25,000
Grant Recipient)
Found in Translation is a Boston-based organization that helps bilingual
women to overcome homelessness and poverty by capitalizing on their
language skills and becoming professional medical interpreters.
Found in Translation is led by founder and executive director
Maria Vertkin.
- Karen Kalish of HOME WORKS!
($25,000 Grant
Recipient)
St. Louis-based
HOME WORKS!, led by founder and CEO Karen
Kalish, aims to increase academic achievement, attendance,
parental engagement, homework completion, improve attitudes about
school and decrease discipline issues.
"Winning the 2017 Jaffe Award has helped catapult our
organization to the next level," says Michelle Horovitz, Co-Founder and Executive
Director of Appetite for Change. She continues, "We are expanding
our footprint both physically and in impact. This award has meant
more than just a grant to us; it means connecting with other
amazing women across the country doing great work and knowing that
we have the support of a whole network at ascena."
A luncheon to honor the winners of the 2018 Roslyn S. Jaffe
Awards will take place on October
17th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York
City.
Leading up to the luncheon, ascena Foundation will host the
third annual Alumni Summit that will convene all previous grant
recipients; further encouraging collaborations and partnerships
among philanthropic organizations.
To begin the entry process for the 2018 Jaffe Awards, eligible
participants must first be nominated (by themselves or another).
All nominations must be submitted by May 24,
2018. Nomination forms will be available in-store at most
Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey,
maurices, dressbarn, Lane Bryant,
Catherines and Justice locations or online at www.jaffeawards.com.
For additional information about the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards, please
visit www.jaffeawards.com.
PR Contacts:
Kucerak + Co.
Lauren Kucerak/ Kelly Cormier
Lauren@kucerakandco.com/ Kelly@kucerakandco.com
212.510.8590
About Roslyn S.
Jaffe
Roslyn S. Jaffe
co-founded the first dressbarn store in 1962; currently she is
Co-Founder, Secretary & Director Emeritus for Life of ascena
retail group, inc. She is a graduate of Simmons College, and was awarded an honorary
Doctorate degree in management from Simmons
College in 2011.
In 1962, Roslyn S. Jaffe was a
working mother who, with her husband Elliott, saw a need and had a
brilliant business idea - a one-stop-shop that offered the
convenience of a value-based, yet fashion forward "work" wardrobe
solution for busy women. Roslyn and Elliot seized the opportunity
and opened a small store named dressbarn in Stamford, CT and helped transform it into what
is now ascena retail group, inc., a multibillion dollar family of
brands including Ann Taylor, LOFT,
Lou & Grey, maurices, dressbarn, Lane
Bryant, Catherines and Justice. A true trailblazer and
entrepreneur, Mrs. Jaffe credits her success to strength,
determination and a can-do attitude. But, most of all, she credits
the company's success to a strong team of family, friends and
associates.
Understanding the needs of her co-workers, many of whom were
also "working moms," Roslyn Jaffe
encouraged a close-knit community where associates could rely on
each other. In addition, Mrs. Jaffe supported like-minded
organizations in the community and was an early advocate for Dress
for Success®, an organization that promotes the economic
independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional
attire, a network of support and the career development tools to
help women thrive in work and in life. This "take care of your own"
camaraderie is what inspired the company to develop a culture of
giving back.
About ascena Foundation
ascena Foundation, established
by ascena retail group, inc., is a commitment to making a
meaningful difference in the lives of others. The ascena Foundation
supports ascena's collective of purpose-driven brands that focus
their charitable giving on supporting women and children, and the
causes most important to them.
About ascena retail group inc.
About ascena retail
group, inc. ascena retail group, inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) is a leading
national specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes, and
accessories for women under the Premium Fashion segment
(Ann Taylor, LOFT, and Lou &
Grey), Value Fashion segment (maurices and dressbarn), Plus Fashion
segment (Lane Bryant, Catherines and
Cacique), and for tween girls under the Kids Fashion segment
(Justice). ascena retail group, inc. operates ecommerce websites
and approximately 4,700 stores throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto
Rico.
For more information about ascena retail group, inc. visit:
ascenaretail.com, AnnTaylor.com, LOFT.com, louandgrey.com,
maurices.com, dressbarn.com, lanebryant.com, Catherines.com, and
shopjustice.com.
More Details on the 2018 Jaffe Awards
NO PURCH NEC. TO
ENTER/ WIN. A PURCH WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.
Requires 2 steps: nomination of nominee & submission by nominee
of app. Nomination period: 3/15/18 at
12:00:00pm ET to 5/24/18 at 11:59:59 PM
ET. Apps must be recv'd by 11:59:59pm
ET on 5/31/18. Anyone 18+ can nominate, but each nominee
must be (a) 18+, (b) a legal resident of 1 of the 50 US or DC &
(c) the creator or founder of a social impact org ("Org.")
that (i) is either (A) itself a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt legal entity
or (B) has a formal, written fiscal-sponsorship arrangement with
another 501(c)(3) tax-exempt legal entity (ii) is independent &
autonomous (i.e., nominee must be principal decision maker in
mgmt./development matters) & is not substantially supported by,
or serving the purpose of promoting, religious or political
orgs./beliefs, (iii) is US-based & (iv) has a primary objective
related to improving health, education, or esteem or to leadership
development or social reform and benefiting low- and middle-income
women and/or children in the US. Subject to Official
Rules at jaffeawards.com, which contain more details on
eligibility and the nomination, application &
judging/winner-selection processes. ARV of grand prize: $100,000;
ARV of each runner-up prize: $25,000; total ARV of all prizes:
$150,000. Prizes awarded to each winning nominee's Org. (or to
fiscal sponsor for the benefit of the Org., if Org. is not itself
tax-exempt entity), not to the individual nominee in his/her
individual capacity. Winners req'd to attend Sponsor event in
New York, NY, on 10/17/2018. Sponsor: Ascena Foundation, 933
MacArthur Blvd., Mahwah, NJ 07430.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/doer-trailblazer-lemonade-maker-nominate-everyday-heroes-for-the-2018-roslyn-s-jaffe-awards-300614415.html
SOURCE ascena Foundation