MAHWAH, N.J., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ascena
Foundation is proud to announce that the 2017 Roslyn S. Jaffe
Awards nomination enrollment is officially open. ascena Foundation,
a charitable organization established by ascena retail group, inc.,
is built on making a meaningful difference in the lives of
others.
The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards Program, now in its fourth year, aims
to empower and provide financial support to organizations who are
making a meaningful difference in the lives of women and/or
children in communities across the United
States, specifically in the areas of health, education,
social reform and esteem.
"When we started dressbarn decades ago, our goal was to reach
working women, which wasn't really being done at the time," says
Roslyn S. Jaffe, co-founder of
dressbarn and Director Emeritus of ascena retail group, inc. She
continues, "Once the company began to grow, we recognized the
importance of supporting women and children who didn't otherwise
have the means themselves. Through the Awards Program, we learn
about so many wonderful people who run organizations that can
benefit from our grants and the exposure we provide. I look forward
to our fourth year where we will once again be honored to meet and
support everyday heroes."
A trailblazing female entrepreneur, Mrs. Jaffe began her career
in 1962. As a working mother, she recognized the need for a
convenient one-stop-shop that offered value-based and
fashion-forward wardrobe solutions for busy women like herself. It
was then that Mrs. Jaffe opened the first dressbarn store in
Stamford, CT, eventually growing
it into ascena retail group, inc., a $7
billion family of brands, including Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, maurices,
dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Catherines
and Justice. The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards honor Mrs. Jaffe's
entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to giving back, while also
encouraging female entrepreneurs to give back to their local
communities.
Mrs. Roslyn Jaffe along with her
daughter, Elise Jaffe, and an
esteemed selection committee with expertise in women's causes,
public affairs, health and education will select the three winning
organizations based on five criteria: their impact on women and/or
children in the U.S., service of lower-to-middle class
beneficiaries, use of innovative approaches, scalability, and
overall need and use for funding. In addition to receiving
financial grants that can be used to further impact the winners'
causes, these grassroots organizations will benefit from increased
exposure, funding opportunities and often the potential for
expanded programming, collaborations and partnerships with other
peer organizations.
"As the award comes into its fourth year, it's truly amazing to
look back and see how many lives have been touched," says
Elise Jaffe, Senior Vice President
of Real Estate for dressbarn. She continues, "We are so proud to
continue to honor individuals who, like my mother, are able to make
lemonade out of lemons – people who are making extraordinary
efforts to change the world."
Last year's winners of the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards are all
exemplary organizations, each positively impacting women and/or
children in low income circumstances, both in their local
communities and nationwide. The 2016 winning organizations
were:
- GirlTrek ($100,000 Grand Prize
Grant Recipient)
GirlTrek, led by founders Vanessa Garrison and Morgan Dixon, is a national nonprofit that
mobilizes African-American women to live their healthiest, most
fulfilled lives through the habit of daily walking.
- The Mosaic Project ($25,000
Grant Recipient)
The Mosaic Project, led by executive
director Lara Mendel, aims to create
a peaceful future by uniting children of diverse backgrounds,
providing them with essential community-building skills and
empowering them to become peacemakers in their communities.
- Keshet Dance ($25,000 Grant
Recipient)
Keshet Dance's mission is to inspire and unite
communities by fostering unlimited possibilities through dance,
mentorship and a creative space for the arts. Keshet Dance is led
by founder and artistic director Shira
Greenberg.
"As an organization that helps improve the health of tens of
thousands of black women and their families, this Award has helped
bring critical resources and attention to GirlTrek's mission to
inspire black women and girls across the country to walk every
day," says co-founder Vanessa
Garrison, "We are so proud to have been the 2016 Grand Prize
Recipient."
A luncheon to honor the winners will take place on October 26th at Cipriani 42nd Street
in New York City. Acclaimed
journalist and philanthropist, Soledad
O'Brien, will emcee the event.
"This will mark my fourth year being a part of this unbelievable
program," says Soledad O'Brien. "I
am always amazed to learn about the wonderful causes and
organizations that are further empowering and helping women and
children across the country. This year is even more relevant for
women everywhere and I can't wait to learn about the new nominees
for 2017."
Leading up to the luncheon, ascena Foundation will host the
second annual Alumni Summit that will convene all previous grant
recipients, further encouraging collaborations and partnerships
among philanthropic organizations.
All nominations must be submitted by May
31, 2017. Nomination forms will be available instore at most
Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey,
maurices, dressbarn, Lane Bryant,
Catherines and Justice locations or online at www.jaffeawards.com.
For additional information about the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards, please
visit www.jaffeawards.com.
PR Contacts:
Kucerak & Co.
Lauren Kucerak/Kelly Cormier
Lauren@kucerakandco.com / Kelly@kucerakandco.com
212.510.8590
About Roslyn S. Jaffe
Roslyn S. Jaffe co-founded the
first dressbarn store in 1962; currently she is Director Emeritus
of ascena retail group, inc. She is a graduate of 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 Elliott, 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. Roslyn and Elliot seized the opportunity
and opened a small store named dressbarn in Stamford, CT and helped transform it into what
is now ascena retail group, inc., a $7
billion family of brands including Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, maurices,
dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Catherines
and Justice. A true trailblazer and entrepreneur, Mrs. 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, many of whom were
also "working moms," Roslyn Jaffe
encouraged a close-knit community where associates could rely on
each other. In addition, Mrs. 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
the ascena Foundation, the philanthropic organization.
About ascena Foundation
ascena Foundation, established by ascena retail group, inc., is
passionate about making a meaningful difference in the lives of
others. ascena Foundation supports ascena's family of
purpose-driven brands that focus their charitable giving for the
benefit of women and children, and the causes most important to
them.
About ascena retail group, inc.
ascena retail group, inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) is a leading national
specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes and accessories for
women under the Premium Fashion segment (Ann Taylor, LOFT and Lou & Grey), Value
Fashion segment (maurices and dressbarn), Plus Fashion segment
(Lane Bryant and Catherines), and
for tween girls under the Kids Fashion segment (Justice).
ascena retail group, inc. operates ecommerce websites and
approximately 4,900 stores throughout the
United States, Canada and
Puerto Rico.
For more information about ascena retail group, inc. visit:
ascenaretail.com, AnnTaylor.com, LOFT.com, louandgrey.com,
maurices.com, dressbarn.com, lanebryant.com, cacique.com,
Catherines.com and shopjustice.com.
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SOURCE ascena retail group, inc.