MAHWAH, N.J., Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascena Retail
Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA), announces the winners of the Roslyn
S. Jaffe Awards recognizing individuals who help empower
women and children. This new annual awards program honors the
lifelong contributions of Roslyn S.
Jaffe, who co-founded the first dressbarn store in 1962.
"Ascena's philanthropic vision is simple: empowering women and
children to be their best," said David
Jaffe, CEO of Ascena Retail Group, Inc. "Across our
communities there are amazing stories about individuals working
tirelessly toward this goal."
These 'everyday heroes' are making the world a better place for
women and/or children in the areas of education, health, social
reform, and self-esteem. "We specifically chose individuals whose
non-profit organizations may not be well known, but have the
potential for major impact with the recognition and financial
support that comes with the award," said Elise Jaffe, Executive Sponsor for Ascena
Cares.
$100,000 Grand Prize
Recipient:
Aza Nedhari, Executive Director and
Co-Founder, Mamatoto Village – Washington, D.C.
Mamatoto Village, aims
to educate low-income women of color in the D.C. Metro area who,
otherwise, enter motherhood blind and underprepared in order to
combat the high rates of preterm birth, low-birth weight and infant
mortality in this impoverished region. Their mission is
two-fold, to provide complimentary and low-cost maternal health
services and breastfeeding education to women and their families
during pregnancy through the first year of the child's life and to
facilitate the increase of qualified women of color, serving in the
profession of Community Birthworkers and/or Midwives.
$25,000 Grant
Recipient:
Evainna Ross, Executive Director, The
Sparrow's Nest, Inc. (The Chosen 50) – Greensboro, NC
The Sparrow's Nest
addresses the underserved youth in Greensboro, NC by engaging youth in leadership
initiatives and developing educational, artistic and character
building skills as an effort to prevent crime and drug activity and
to prepare them for their transition to college or career. "The
Chosen 50" mentorship program gives 50 promising youth the
opportunity to work in an incentivized community of youth to tackle
a new challenge and develop leadership, life and career skills each
year.
$25,000 Grant
Recipient:
Joy Bergfalk,
Founder of Project Empower and Executive Director of Coffee
Connection – Rochester,
NY
The Coffee Connection / Project Empower provides
comprehensive, continuous support for women on the journey to
sustainable recovery from addiction through employment training,
job creation and sober support in and around Rochester, NY.
$5,000 Honorable Mentions For
Five Finalists:
Rebel Nell – Detroit, MI Employs disadvantaged women in
Detroit to make beautiful works of
wearable art from fallen graffiti, educates them on financial
management, business and life wellness and empowers them to
successfully transition to an independent life.
Threads for Teens – Sonoma
County, CA – aims to help young, less fortunate girls
build self-esteem, confidence and give them hope through gifts of
clothing, support and education.
Women's Resource Center (Women to Work Program) –
Greensboro, NC – Provides
pre-employment training, educational opportunities and placement
case management designed to assist women in securing gainful
employment.
Everybody Dance Now! – Santa
Barbara, CA (local chapters nationwide) – Transforms
lives of young people through dance, leadership and community
involvement.
Women's Small Business Accelerator, Inc. – Columbus, OH – is dedicated to helping
women business owners develop feasible concepts and launch business
models that thrive and grow in order to change their financial
picture and care for their families.
The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards program was launched exclusively in
Ascena brands' retail stores and on the brands' web sites in
April 2014. Over 1,000 nominations
were received. Final winners were chosen by an esteemed Selection
Committee with expertise in women's causes, public affairs, health,
and education. The committee includes: Roslyn S. Jaffe, Elise
Jaffe, Joi Gordon (CEO of
Dress for Success), Paula Kerger
(CEO of PBS), Helen Drinan
(President of Simmons College), Dr.
Lisa Satlin (Professor & Chair,
Pediatric Nephrology at Mount
Sinai), Designer Isabel Toledo, Aleyamma Matthew (Senior Program Officer of the
Ms. Foundation for Women) and Teresa
Younger (CEO and President of Ms. Foundation for Women).
A luncheon honoring the winners will take place on
October 23, 2014 at the Roosevelt
Hotel in New York City.
Award-winning journalist Soledad
O'Brien will emcee the event.
For additional information about the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards
please visit www.JaffeAward.com.
About Roslyn S. Jaffe
Roslyn S. Jaffe co-founded
the first dressbarn store in 1962; currently she is
Director Emeritus for Ascena Retail Group, Inc. She is a
graduate from 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, 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, like herself. Roslyn and Elliot seized the
opportunity and opened a small store named dressbarn in
Stamford, CT and helped grow it
into the successful, nearly $5
billion, five-brand retail empire it is today (Ascena Retail
Group, Inc.). A true trailblazer and entrepreneur, Ms. 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, who were also
'working moms,' Roslyn Jaffe
encouraged a close-knit community where associates could rely on
each other. In addition, Ms. 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 years later to
establish Ascena Cares, the company's group of charitable
organizations.
About Ascena Cares
Ascena is passionate about making a meaningful difference in the
lives of others. Ascena brands focus their charitable giving to the
long-standing mission of supporting women and children empowerment
issues. And, through Ascena Cares, several funds were
established to provide support directly to employees, their
families and their communities, including: an emergency assistance
fund to help employees in challenging times; a scholarship fund to
help employees' children get a higher education; and a crisis
relief fund to help the surrounding communities in times of
need.
About Ascena Retail Group, Inc.
Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) is a leading specialty
retailer offering clothing, shoes, and accessories for missy and
plus-size women under the Lane Bryant, Cacique,
maurices, dressbarn, and Catherines brands;
and for tween girls and boys, under the Justice and
Brothers brands. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. operates
through its subsidiaries approximately 4,000 stores throughout
the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.
For more information about Ascena Retail Group, Inc. and its
brands, visit www.ascenaretail.com, www.lanebryant.com,
www.maurices.com, www.dressbarn.com, www.catherines.com,
www.cacique.com, www.shopjustice.com, and
www.shopbrothers.com.
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SOURCE Ascena Retail Group, Inc.