by Bianca Moorman
Fashion and flair was in the air at 16 West in downtown Roanoke and it was all for a good cause. Fashionista, a non-profit organization put on a fashion show fundraiser Saturday, June 27 for Transitional Options for Women (TOW).
TOW was founded in 2005 by Dorothy Owsley. While Owsley was in Washington, there was a transitional program for women released from prison. When she returned to Roanoke she wanted to create a similar program in this area and TOW was launched. “There are presently few facilities in this area for women released from prison that offer the same opportunities as those for men. We provide a program that reconnects women with the community,” said Owsley who currently directs the facility located on Patterson Ave in southwest Roanoke. “Our main issue is to evaluate and address their needs and guide them in the right direction,” she added.
To receive services at the facility, the women must go through an application process from which eight women are chosen. Residents can stay at the facility for months at a time because it’s hard to determine how long the re-adjustment period will take.
Also among the issues most critical to the women is their need to be accepted into society and still maintain their individuality. “They also want a reason to move forward with their lives,” Owsley said.
Another factor is, the applicant must be on parole and must be from the Roanoke area or returning to the area after release.
Program participants are non-violent offenders for safety reasons. Britta Smith-Fraction, TOW house manager, says the program provides a safe environment for the residents. It also offers assistance with employment, educational opportunities and other valuable tools necessary to empower them in preparation for societal re-entry.
After the women leave the house TOW conducts a routine follow-up with each client so as to assist them in whatever else they might need.
“Being an ex-offender myself…I understand both sides from firsthand experience. I’ve been in their shoes and I know how it is,” Smith-Fraction said.
Owsley, gave her a chance to make an impact on other women who are in the same situation as she once was.
“I had a brother that was incarcerated and I know how hard it was for him to make the transition,” said Angie Stanfield, who sits on the organization’s board of visitors. “I saw this as an opportunity for people who are really in need of such services during such a critical time in their lives.”
The non-profit organization mostly receives operating funds from donations, so the fashion show was a big help. According to Stanfield, Fashionista approached them with an offer to partner which became a great opportunity to have fun and generate funds for the organization.
“Fashionista is all about women so it is a perfect match” Stanfield said. All proceeds from the fashion show will support the facility.
In the coming months, Owsley is planning on opening a coffee shop and laundromat in the West End neighborhood that will employ the women in the program.
Besides a fashion show the event featured a silent auction, door prizes and a dance. The master of ceremonies was Corbin Prydwen who praised the partnership between the two organizations. Prydwen is an ex-offender who upon his release, turned his life around flipping properties and has engaged in several promising projects that have contributed to upgrading the West End area. He said he fully understood the hardships ex-offenders face and spoke freely of his 7-year incarceration.
Towards the end of the fashion show there was an award given to Owsley for her vision and all the work she has done for the community. “Women hold things together,” Owsley said to those who gathered for an afternoon of fun and fashion for a good cause.
