Ensuring Access to the Opportunities Women Need to Achieve Financial Independence
As a child, Lucy Schilling had no idea one day she would become a leader in law and a champion for women’s empowerment. Growing up in an immigrant family, she learned the value of tenacity and resilience early on, working in her family’s grocery store for 15 years from age 11 to 26 before forging her path to becoming the Vice Office Managing Partner at Cozen O’Connor’s Vancouver office. Today, as a valued member of the Board of Directors of both Dress for Success Vancouver and Dress for Success Canada Foundation, Lucy is ensuring that more women have access to the means and opportunities they need to achieve financial independence, self-fulfillment and both professional and personal success.
From an early age, Lucy saw firsthand how financial independence creates not only security but also opportunity. Watching her refugee parents build a life in Canada after arriving here with only $10 to their name and witnessing them establish their neighbourhood grocery business from the ground up shaped her understanding of what it takes to succeed and she is certainly no stranger to hard work. Her parents’ tireless work ethic and personal sacrifices allowed her the financial stability to graduate from law school completely debt-free and to purchase her first home early on with their support – opportunities she is passionate about helping other women to access.
“At Dress for Success Vancouver, we empower women to achieve financial independence, which I believe is essential for long-term and enduring success,” Lucy shares.
Lucy’s belief in the power of financial investment to create lasting change fuels her deep commitment to Dress for Success Vancouver. Whether securing partnerships with companies like David Yurman, or facilitating corporate donations through Cozen O’Connor and her extensive network, she understands that empowering women to not only succeed, but also to lead, results in stronger communities and a more equitable future that benefits society and the economy as a whole.
Dress For Success Vancouver and Their Community Impact
Since joining the Dress for Success Vancouver Board of Directors in 2019, Lucy has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of this work. One of her proudest accomplishments is her role in developing a long-term partnership with David Yurman, which has raised over $137,000 to fund essential programs that provide professional attire, pre-employment and job-retention training, mentorship, leadership training, and access to professional networks – resources that are often the difference between uncertainty and stability for many women.
“It’s the return on investment (ROI) that I love: the impact of your contribution keeps growing long after the initial investment,” Lucy explains. “By empowering women to become self-sufficient, they in turn, contribute to their families, their workplaces and society in lasting and meaningful ways. The positive ripple effect of our work on not only these women’s lives, but also their families as well the local economy in general, which benefits everyone, is what makes Dress for Success Vancouver so powerful, and why I remain deeply committed to the cause.”
Lucy’s story embodies the infinite potential of one inspired woman. Because of the support of community members like Lucy, Dress for Success Vancouver has empowered more than 46,000 women across the Lower Mainland since 1999, creating a potential economic impact of $2.1 billion. But there is still work to be done. Many women in our community face systemic barriers to employment, financial stability, and career growth. Dress for Success Vancouver exists to bridge that gap, but we can’t do it alone.
Join Lucy in making a difference:
Donate – Your contribution supports programs that provide women with the tools they need to succeed.
Host a Fundraiser – Become a champion for Dress for Success Vancouver.
Host a donation drive – Professional attire, handbags, and personal care items help women step into interviews with confidence.
Become a mentor – Share your expertise and guide another woman as she navigates her career journey.
Engage your company – Advocate for corporate sponsorships and community partnerships.
Together, we can create lasting change. To learn more about partnership opportunities, email Zoe, our Director of Communications & Partnerships, at zoeg@dfsvancouver.org.
The Dress for Success Vancouver team would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Lucy Schilling for her incredible dedication to our community and her continued support. Her leadership, generosity, and commitment to empowering women are inspiring and have had an enormous impact. We are proud to see her appointed to the Board of Directors of the Dress for Success Canada Foundation.
Be sure to check out Episode 35: Becoming a Star Associate with Lucy Schilling with FACL BC, where Lucy shares more advice on building a personal brand and navigating professional spaces like a superstar.
This piece was written by one of our Communications Editors, Fernanda Munoz.