June 21, 2019
Wells' LinkedIn post leads to surge in business attire donations
New donations for the COB’s Professional Dress Closet (PDC) have rolled in thanks to a LinkedIn post by Dr. Brenda Wells. After a student showed up for a job interview in casual dress, Brenda and her colleague Kurt Fickling called the student in to find out why he didn’t dress appropriately. He said, “I don’t own a suit.” They then referred him to COB’s Kim Watkins, who manages the PDC, so that she could outfit him with proper attire.
Wells said, “I told my boyfriend about that because it made me feel good to be able to help the student. He said I should talk about it on LinkedIn as publicity for the College. So, I did. Little did I know that it would end up getting over 360,000 views in less than a month!”
Mark Kolber and Kim Watkins
As a result, numerous individuals contacted Wells to donate clothing. A semi-retired attorney, Mark Kolber, flew his private plane to Greenville to drop off a load of starched and pressed professional attire he no longer needed. Another contact from LinkedIn sent a box of designer neckties, including some from Brooks Brothers. “People continue to contact me to ask where to send or drop off donations. I’ve had people from New York and other distant states ask me if we have a drop off location in their city,” said Wells.
“The majority of the time, a student is seeking assistance from the PDC because he or she cannot afford to purchase a business suit since many hold down jobs just to pay rent, car payments and other living expenses,” said Watkins. “I never tire from seeing a student’s face when they leave with a suit… for them, it’s truly a confidence-booster.”
Of course, no social media post with that kind of exposure can go uncriticized.
“I was surprised at how many people criticized me for ‘judging’ the student or trying to make him ‘conform’ to a standard they dislike. Like I told them, I didn’t make the dress code! All I could do was point the student in the right direction to get some help. I’m very proud of the COB for its efforts in this area, and in spite of the criticism, I am still very proud of the post and the exposure that it got for our PDC,” Wells said.
Those wishing to donate to the PDC, please email COB@ecu.edu with the subject line, PDC donation.