Committing to our Communities – Looking Fabulous While Doing It

As one of our promises to our people, we have a commitment to our communities, and last Wednesday, July 22nd, members of our Chicago office took that to heart as they attended a Rent the Runway event through Step Up, an organization devoted to inspiring women to inspire girls.  Already championed by a couple members of the office, this event was Protiviti’s first as a corporate sponsor.  Our women networked over wine, or serves, and some amazing dresses to discuss the topics of female empowerment, opportunities in the work place, and ways of giving back as they grow in their own careers.  It was an amazing event, but don’t take it from just me. Here’s some of their biggest takeaways:

“I got involved with Step Up because I am an advocate for helping young people get ahead.  Step Up helps high school girls in under-served communities reach their full potential by mentoring and guiding them through many obstacles and challenges in life.” – Pamela Faleti

“I got involved because one of my favorite causes is education, especially concerning those who have a harder time achieving it. I feel lucky that my education was such a given in my life and such a priority of my friends and family, so now, being able to support others to succeed in high school and college is a passion of mine.” – Julia Lynch

“The Step Up: Rent the Runway event was a great opportunity to meet the young women that are a part of this organization. I especially enjoyed my conversations with the girls about applying for colleges/choosing a career path as well as their hobbies and what it is like to be a part of Step Up.” – Gail Harmon

“One of the girls who was going to start her senior year at a partnering high school spoke at the event. She highlighted how Step Up has helped build her confidence and she is now able to approach anyone and have a conversation. She came from a family where her confidence was low, and she was able to build that with her mentors at Step Up. She feels confident as she start applying her college bound skills this year as a senior which she learned from her mentors. It was nice to hear the organization’s impact!” – Kinnari Patel

“The concept was a lot of fun especially with their Shine and Dine event coming up, but my favorite part was talking with and getting to know all the girls. They were all such smart girls with positive attitudes and great personalities. I left the event wanting to become even more involved with Step up and look forward to all the future events and hopefully participating in some mentoring activities.” – Sofia Gutta

“Attending the Step Up event and speaking to the girls that benefit from this organization was truly inspiring.  The girls have such big dreams and a desire to succeed. I’m looking forward to our continued involvement with Step Up and helping these girls achieve their goals.” – Jazmin Suarez

“I really enjoyed the event, it was a great environment to connect with the girls on a less formal basis. I am very excited to continue attending the events as well as get involve with the mentoring aspect.  The concept of women inspiring girls is a great, unique twist!” – Samantha Hirsch

The next big event for Step UP is Shine & Dine, a chic evening of networking, philanthropy and local fare benefiting Step Up’s programs.  Nearly 700 guests attend Shine & Dine, which raises nearly 40% of the funds the organization needs to serve its Chicago community for one year.  The event is set for Thursday, August 13, 2015, from 7:00-10:00 p.m. at the Bridgeport Art Center’s Skyline Loft, with a VIP Reception from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in Chicago.

If you are interested in getting more involved in the organization check out Step Up’s website or reach out to Pamela Faleti at pamela.faleti@protiviti.com!