Common Threads to Celebrate Women Supporting Women on April 11

SPRINGFIELD — Common Threads, the signature event of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts (DFSWM), is coming up on Thursday, April 11 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Tickets are on sale until April 1.

Common Threads will feature networking, a sit-down dinner, and a silent auction leading into a program that will highlight multiple local women who have made significant strides toward financial stability and personal goals.

Award-winning weeknight evening anchor Ciara Speller of WWLP 22News will be the emcee for the event. LaTonia Monroe Naylor, school committee representative, small-business entrepreneur, gunshot survivor, author, nonprofit founder, wife, and mother, will serve as the keynote speaker.

During the event, Sarai Arroyo of West Springfield Public Schools and a student at Holyoke Community College will be given the Distinguished Alumna Award, Tammy Hickey will be honored as Volunteer of the Year, and Jessica Dupont of Alliant Health Plans, a DFSWM past board president, will be recognized as an Outstanding Contributor.

“The program will honor our awardees and five participants who have changed their lives while in our programming,” said Jess Roncarati-Howe, DFSWM interim executive director. “It’s inspirational to see how much these women have overcome — including poverty, abuse, addiction and more — to provide a better future for themselves and their families.”

All proceeds support DFSWM’s mission to provide women and non-binary people in the community with the tools and network of support to achieve financial independence. Local programs include the Foot in the Door workforce-readiness program, the Margaret Fitzgerald Mentorship Program, the Professional Women’s Group, a digital-literacy program, and the suiting program. The event will feature opportunities to donate to the work of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.

Tickets, which cost $75 each, are available at www.dfswm.org.