Wellspring House was pleased to welcome J.Jill Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Claire Spofford, and several members of the J.Jill Executive Team last week to the historic main house and campus for a lighthearted visit and day of volunteering, team building, and community service. A Wellspring supporter since 2012, The J.Jill Compassion Fund supports and empowers women to move forward faster and establish a better life for themselves, their children, and their families. For Wellspring, 2023 marks the eleventh consecutive year of partnership with J.Jill and the J. Jill Compassion Fund, which has generously contributed to Wellspring and our Healthcare Office Support Training (HOST) Program through grants and in-kind donations.
Arriving early with more than a dozen volunteers, we gathered early on the sunporch to talk briefly about Wellspring services, programs and recent accomplishments, before embarking on a day of student styling fun, garden clean-up, and landscaping (and it was a scorcher!) After opening remarks from Wellspring President and Executive Director Melissa Dimond, we all broke into small teams, ready to tackle a day of giving.
Divided into three organized groups, we sorted hundreds of pounds of donated brand-name clothing (including gorgeous, comfortable and stylish J.Jill leggings!) to fill the Awesome Closet, which Wellspring students and participants can shop, for free, to purchase high-quality, professional looks for upcoming interviews, internships and new jobs.
Meanwhile, over in the Awesome Closet, J.Jill designers and stylists were hard at work helping students enrolled in Wellspring’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and HOST programs, as well as guests at our family shelter, stuff their bags with sleek summer looks, trendy dresses, gorgeous handbags, and accessories to build just the right look for their new jobs or opportunities! Just look at those smiles!
Outside near the Education Center, more than half a dozen volunteers braved the very hot weather and spent several hours pulling weeds and brush under the watchful eyes of Wellspring’s Gardens Manager Jill Brown, who works so very hard to ensure the property is a welcoming, Zen-inspired space for students that arrive to take their or other Wellspring education programs.
After breaking for lunch, J.Jill CEO Claire Spofford shared very kind remarks and we remain deeply grateful for their partnership. We could not continue to support our HOST community without their kindness.
Wellspring would like to extend our deep thanks to Ms. Spofford and her entire team for a truly amazing day of team building and connection and look forward to creating many more outstanding styling events (and confidence-building!) opportunities for Wellspring students and participants long into the future. Thank you!