DRESS 2 S.O.A.R.

Dress 2 S.O.A.R. is a program that engages at-risk foster youth, to overcome their relationship/trust issues, and educate them through apparel and fashion to stand taller and build their confidence. We are a nonprofit member of The Alliance: Defending the Cause of Kids & Families.

We hold style and character workshops for 20-30 foster teens where stylists give them the tools to look and feel confident interviewing for a job, teaching them to dress for the workplace, and understanding the character traits that help them keep a job. Youth from these workshops then experience a shopping trip at Nordstrom Rack with Nordstrom stylists to receive interview clothing.

Our Vision

To ensure every teen in the Sacramento area foster care system has the confidence, skills and sense of belonging needed to lead happy and successful lives.

Our Impact

We support teens in foster care and emancipated youth prepare for the job interview process and adulthood with our 3 P’s Workshops - Prepare, Present and Produce. We believe that every teen in foster care deserves to have every chance for success in life, even though there is so much going against them. Society says, “you are not loved” but we say “you are loved and deserve to be successful inside, and out!”

01. Prepare

We prepare teens for job interviews by conducting industry focused workshops that teach interview skills and offer mock interviews with instant feedback. Teens that have participated have said it has helped them better understand how to be successful.

02. present

We help teens present themselves with style and substance. This is done through our style workshops, D2S boutique, and job readiness shopping sprees. Professional volunteers guide the teens in clothing selection to help them understand what will enable them to be most successful in a job interview.

03. produce

We put a focus on developing the teens’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health through collaborative relationships with other programs.

“Let me tell you, there is nothing that can make me feel as confident as I did the first time I put on my new suit.”

Alec | graduating youth in foster care

Our Story

We have been building this program since 2014. Our focus has been supporting the Foster teens population at Koinonia homes for teens. It’s a rehabilitation center/high school/home for teens who have had drug and alcohol issues (among other issues.) Our program educates, inspires and provides experiences that support teens getting ready for the professional world.

A powerful truth formed over the past several years: That through clothing and style, our program could receive the most precious and valuable gift foster teens can give – Trust. Out of this formed our mission to engage these broken and lost young people with tenderness and compassion. Educate them on dressing well and living with integrity, inspire and light the path to a better outcome for themselves and the community at large.

In 2014, my heart was touched by the work at Koinonia and the young lives being changed. A simple idea got me started. Why not use my style knowledge to teach these young men how to dress? I had no idea what God had in store for me. My eyes were slowly opened to this call to serve foster teens. An inspiring figure for me is Father Greg Boyle – author of “Tattoos on the Heart” and “Barking to the Choir”. Foster teens are the lost, the broken, the least of thee. Dress 2 SOAR is here to embrace these lost young people. Show them they are loved, valued, and worth it. We use style, clothes, and character to build trust and connection; but it is the web of community and partners that will lead the way to a better life.

Justin Studebaker | Founder & Nordstrom Men’s Stylist