[fusion_dropcap class="fusion-content-tb-dropcap"]C[/fusion_dropcap]ommon Threads, the signature event of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts (DFSWM), is coming up on Thursday, April 11 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Tickets are on sale until Monday, April 1.

Common Threads will feature networking, a sit-down dinner, and a silent auction leading into a
program that will highlight multiple local women who have made tremendous strides toward
financial stability and personal goals.

Award-winning weeknight evening anchor Ciara Speller of WWLP (22News), will be the emcee
for the event. LaTonia Monroe Naylor, school committee representative, small business
entrepreneur, gunshot survivor, author, nonprofit founder, wife, and mother, will serve as the
keynote speaker. During the event, Sarai Arroyo of West Springfield Public Schools and a
student at Holyoke Community College will be given the Distinguished Alumna Award, Tammy
Hickey will be honored as Volunteer of the Year, and DFSWM Past Board President Jessica
Dupont of Alliant Health Plans will be recognized as an Outstanding Contributor.
“The program will honor our awardees and five participants who have changed their lives while
in our programming,” DFSWM Interim Executive Director Jess Roncarati-Howe said. “It’s
inspirational to see how much these women have overcome ― including poverty, abuse,
addiction and more ― to provide a better future for themselves and their families.”
All proceeds support DFSWM's mission to provide women and non-binary people in our
community with the tools and network of support to achieve financial independence. Local
programs include the Foot in the Door workforce-readiness program, the Margaret Fitzgerald
Mentorship Program, the Professional Women’s Group, a digital-literacy program, and the
suiting program.

The event will feature opportunities to donate to the work of Dress for Success Western
Massachusetts. Event sponsors include Spotlight Sponsor, PeoplesBank, Runway Sponsors,
Mestek, Scout Curated Wares, Rack Sponsors, Bacon and Wilson, Health New England and
Wardrobe Sponsors, Chicopee Industrial Contractors, Holyoke Community College, the
Valentine Mansion, Wayfinders and the Western Massachusetts Economic Development
Council.

Tickets, which are $75 each, are available at www.dfswm.org. The deadline for purchasing
Monday April 1st.