Working Wardrobes is a nonprofit located in Santa Ana, CA that helps men, women, young adults, and veterans overcome difficult challenges so they can achieve the dignity of work and the Power of a Paycheck. The organization’s work has become even more critical in this COVID-19 environment.
On February 2, 2020, Working Wardrobes lost everything in a devastating multi-million-dollar fire. They also faced multiple challenges due to COVID-19 and faced the urgent reality of changing their programs’ dynamic to a virtual environment.
“Working Wardrobes had a double whammy in 2020,” said Launchpad CEO Abraham Jankans. “They suffered a devastating fire in February, and then COVID really crippled our local non-profit community. These are good people helping Southern Californians get back on their feet with workforce training and opportunities. We knew we wanted to help them recover and provide solutions to the challenges they faced.”
One of the challenges Working Wardrobes faced was tracking their client service programs virtually, with all the data they needed in one place and stored in the cloud. Launchpad provided its innovative cloud-based case management app designed for workforce development, and further customized it to fit Working Wardrobe’s tracking needs.
During the implementation, Launchpad reduced the financial burden by offering nonprofit discounts and licenses to Working Wardrobes. Additionally, Launchpad's implementation partner, Abelian, donated the implementation services costs as an in-kind donation.
“Our ultimate goal was not to miss a beat in serving our clients,” said Ashley Baribeault-Vlcan, Director of Client Services. Working Wardrobes celebrated the grand opening of its new Career Success Center in September. The center provides vital career development tools, resources, and training. The Career Success Center’s opening follows the opening of a new donation center and marks an amazing comeback for the organization, despite the enormous challenges of 2020.
About Working Wardrobes
Working Wardrobes is Orange County’s foremost career development nonprofit, championing on behalf of at-risk men, women, young adults, and veterans to help them achieve the dignity of work. Founded in 1990 by CEO/Founder Jerri Rosen, Working Wardrobes has been serving the Southern California region for over 30 years, providing job training, career placement, and wardrobe services to more than 105,000 clients to overcome barriers to employment and achieve the Power of a Paycheck®. For more information, please visit www.workingwardrobes.org.