Tracy Lubick is Wear2Start's first ever program manager.

A PERFECT FIT TO MOVE US FORWARD

Wear2Start is taking a giant step forward. For the first time in our 17-year history, we’ve hired a program manager.

We had a lot of requirements for the right person to fill this position. We didn’t know when we wrote the job description that it would fit one person like an exquisitely tailored gown.

Experience leading within a community-based non-profit agency? Check. Demonstrated leadership and management of both paid and volunteer staff? Check.

Ability to motivate staff/volunteers? Experience in initiating, planning and implementing programs and services? Excellent written communication skills, proven ability in revenue-generation and fundraising? Check, check and check.

Tracy Lubick is everything we hoped for and more in a program manager. She brings with her more than 16 years of experience helping self-identified women in need in our community as the former community programs manager and development director of Victoria Women’s Transition House and former resource development manager of the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre.

“We are thrilled to have someone with Tracy’s experience, her long-standing commitment to helping women in need and her enthusiasm join Wear2Start,” said Heidi Hartman, president of the W2S board. “Hiring a program manager is a monumental step forward for the Wear2Start Society and we believe Tracy is the perfect person to help chart a bright future for our organization and the people we serve.”

Tracy had stepped away from her full-time commitments and was looking for a more flexible schedule that would allow her to travel more with her husband and devote more time to their shared passion for riding motocross.

“I was looking for something that was a good use of my skills and knowledge but also was hoping to find something that would tap into my passion for women’s services,” Tracy said.

After a year of patiently searching for the right fit, she spotted the Wear2Start employment ad.

“I was intrigued … knowing that [W2S] supports a need that is sometimes overlooked, that sometimes people take it for granted that women have the clothes that they need. I also recognize that [clothing], whether we acknowledge it or not, is a very important part of first impressions with people,” she said. “We look at how people present themselves and it also instills a lot of confidence in people if they are feeling comfortable in their appearance.”

Tracy said she understands from experience that W2S’s provision of a work wardrobe to women in need is about more than just clothes. The point is filling a gap to reduce the stress of entering or getting back into the workplace and feeling confident in the search for a better future.

“In my work at the Sexual Assault Centre and the Women’s Transition House, we were focussing on helping individuals with safety planning as well as empowering them with services and support on their healing journeys. With Transition House, a lot of women are leaving behind everything that they know in order to escape the violence and trauma they have experienced. Some may not have been able to work for a long time or may have been cut off financially when they left their situations. Suitable clothing for a job search is usually the last thing on their minds. Filling that gap is one way in which Wear2Start plays a role in helping to empower women and instill confidence as they work to rebuild their lives.

“We welcome individuals who self-identify as women, trans women, non-binary or two-spirited who are re-entering the workforce or need help with appropriate attire for their current place of employment. I’m honoured to be part of such an amazing organization and look forward to continuing to strengthen our community partnerships and increase the awareness of those who need us.”

One of Tracy’s first priorities is to reach out to organizations who use or could use our services. W2S believes we could support many more women than we already do. If you belong to an organization that helps women get into or re-enter the workforce and think your clients could benefit from W2S’s services, please get in touch with Tracy at  programmanager@wear2start.com.