Chevron and Foley & Lardner Team Up with Dress For Success Houston to Empower Professional Women During COVID-19

During the COVID-19 crisis, Dress For Success Houston (DFSH), along with Chevron and Foley & Lardner LLP are continuing their dedication to equipping Houston women with professional attire and skillsets to overcome economic hardships. This includes a recent presentation, hosted by Chevron and Foley & Lardner, that offered DFSH clients expert advice on tenant-landlord rights.

The mission of DFSH is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and life. Since 1998, DFSH has provided business attire, a much-needed boost of confidence, and job retention and career advancement services to more than 45,000 women in the Houston community.

This mission is as critical as ever with COVID-19 placing strain on Americans and DFSH clients.

• The pandemic has impacted 75% of DFSH women in some way, including unemployment, childcare availability and food insecurity. Prior to the pandemic, only 10% of DFSH clients were unemployed; now, 43% are unemployed. 
• 36% of DFSH women are essential workers, 48% have children at home and 45% do not have a savings account.
• Nearly 85% of the women served are women of color. Important to note given how this pandemic and economic crisis is impacting these communities in greater numbers. 

Foley & Lardner has donated to DFSH for 17 years with some of the law firm’s attorneys having served on the charity’s Advisory Council and hosted volunteer groups to support various DFSH initiatives. Meanwhile, Chevron remains one of DFSH’s top donors, contributing for 16 years with employee/matching gifts for 12 years. Various Chevron employees have also served on the Board of Directors throughout the last 16 years and are involved in various initiatives like Women of Wardrobe, the Young Professional group that supports DFSH and hosting numerous volunteer groups. Additionally, for 16 years, Chevron has served as Presenting Sponsor for Send One Suit Month, DFSH’s citywide suit drive that supports nearly 50% of DFSH’s annual inventory.

“Foley & Lardner is excited to collaborate with Chevron and Dress for Success Houston to provide the women of Houston with information to help them succeed, especially during these turbulent times,” said Audrey Momanaee, Partner and Member of Foley’s National Pro Bono Committee. “Houstonians have always been known for coming together during hardships and we are happy to play our part in giving back to the Houston community by doing what we can to provide legal resources to those who need – but may not otherwise have access to – them.”

Chevron’s collaboration with Foley & Lardner to serve Dress for Success Houston (DFSH) clients is a great example of the company’s passion and commitment for providing Houstonians the boost they need to succeed.

“Chevron is proud to support Dress for Success Houston and its mission of empowering women to achieve economic independence,” said Kristi McCarthy, General Counsel and Vice President of Land for Chevron North America Exploration and Production, and member of Dress for Success Houston’s Board of Directors. “During these challenging times, our employees are looking for ways to give back to their Houston neighbors and make a positive impact in the community. We’re excited to collaborate with Foley & Lardner to make an impact in the lives of Houston-area women and their families.”  

The joint webinar is the first collaboration between Chevron and Foley & Lardner to provide pro bono legal aid to Dress for Success Houston clients. Both groups hope to continue providing these types of services for Dress for Success Houston and other local nonprofits to help meet the needs of Houston’s diverse population.