INDIANAPOLIS — A woman with a heart for helping others needs a little Hoosier hospitality to advance her mission to improve lives across the state.
It’s a message the 58-year-old Demeada Williams wholeheartedly believes in after more than 20 years working as an addiction and recovery therapist.
“When they get to me, they’re broken, and so how can we change the trajectory of their life and put them on the right course?” Williams asked.
The answer to those questions may start with what fills the kitchen of Williams' west Indianapolis home.
“We have over 1,000 ties, brand new ties and dress shirts,” said Williams, pointing to racks.
For the past month, the Muncie native has been collecting suits and accessories to give to men who are trying to get back on their feet.
“I just can’t wait to see a guy’s face when he comes and it’s maybe their very first suit they’ve ever had,” Williams explained.
She calls the organization 1st Impression and hopes to turn it into a nonprofit.
“You only get one chance to make a first impression,” she said.
Making the right one during a job interview is a lot harder, Williams said, if you don’t have professional clothes. Over the years, she has found the men she works with usually don’t - and can’t afford to get them.
When Williams set out to find organizations that could help, she found none.
“They’ve got Dress for Success for women. Nothing for men,” she lamented.
Williams plans to change that, and some lives along the way.
“Changing lives, one suit at a time,” said Williams, repeating the organization’s tag line.
Suits are just the beginning of Williams' vision. Eventually, she wants to help men with other aspects of finding a job, hosting workshops on how to write resumes and strengthen interviewing skills.
“I want to grow and offer them more than just a suit for an interview. Let’s work on some skills. Let’s do some groups. Let’s do some volunteer work,” she said.
First, she has to find a location to house 1st Impression.
“At some point, I’ll go through everything, but that’s going to take a long time and I can’t do it until I have a place to put them,” Williams said.
She’s hoping someone can donate the space for now so she can get going and get the suits into the hands of the men who need them, men who are ready to dress for the future they want.
“If I can do one little thing, let me help you look good and then I hope you feel good,” Williams said.
You can contact Williams via email here.
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