Doer. Trailblazer. Lemonade Maker. Nominate Everyday Heroes for the 2018 Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards

MAHWAH, N.J., March 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ascena Foundation is proud to announce that the 2018 Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards nomination period is officially open. The ascena Foundation, a charitable organization established by ascena retail group, inc., is built on making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards Program, now proudly in its fifth year, aims to empower and provide financial support to organizations who are making a meaningful difference in the lives of women and/or children in communities across the United States, specifically in the areas of health, education, social reform, leadership development and esteem.

"When we started dressbarn decades ago, our goal was to reach working women, which wasn't really being done at the time," says Roslyn S. Jaffe, Co-Founder of dressbarn and Secretary & Director Emeritus for Life of ascena retail group, inc. She continues, "Once the company began to grow, we recognized the importance of supporting women and children who didn't otherwise have the means themselves. Through the Awards Program, we learn about so many wonderful people who run organizations that can benefit from our grants and the exposure we provide. I am so thrilled that what started as such a small idea, has grown into a program that's now five years strong in supporting everyday heroes."

A trailblazing female entrepreneur, Mrs. Jaffe began her career in 1962. As a working mother, she recognized the need for a convenient one-stop-shop that offered value-based and fashion-forward wardrobe solutions for busy women like herself. It was then that Mrs. Jaffe opened the first dressbarn store in Stamford, CT, eventually growing it into ascena retail group, inc., a multibillion family of brands including Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, maurices, dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Catherines and Justice. The Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards honor Mrs. Jaffe's entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to giving back, while also encouraging entrepreneurs to give back to their local communities.

Mrs. Roslyn Jaffe alongside her daughter, Elise Jaffe, and an esteemed selection committee with expertise in women's causes, public affairs, health and education will select the three winners based on five criteria: their organization's impact on low-to middle-income women and/or children in the U.S., use of innovative and entrepreneurial approach, scalability, and ability to leverage the funding and visibility of winning the Jaffe Awards to grow, as well as the ability of the winner and other members of the organization's leadership to create and advocate the organization's vision.

"As the award comes into its fifth year, it's truly amazing to look back and see how many lives have been touched," says Elise Jaffe, Senior Vice President of Real Estate at ascena retail group, inc. and Executive Sponsor of ascena Cares. She continues, "We are so proud to continue to honor individuals who, like my mother, are able to make lemonade out of lemons – people who are making extraordinary efforts to change the world."

Winners of the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards have all founded exemplary organizations, each positively impacting women and/or children in low- or middle-income circumstances, both in their local communities and nationwide. The 2017 grant recipients were:

• Appetite for Change ($100,000 Grand Prize Grant Recipient)
  Appetite for Change uses food as a tool to build health, wealth and social change in North Minneapolis. Led by Michelle Horovitz, LaTasha Powell and Princess Titus, its programs include community cooking workshops, urban agriculture and organized food policy efforts.
• Found in Translation ($25,000 Grant Recipient)
  Found in Translation is a Boston-based organization that helps bilingual women to overcome homelessness and poverty by capitalizing on their language skills and becoming professional medical interpreters. Found in Translation is led by founder and executive director Maria Vertkin.
• Karen Kalish of HOME WORKS! ($25,000 Grant Recipient)
  St. Louis-based HOME WORKS!, led by founder and CEO Karen Kalish, aims to increase academic achievement, attendance, parental engagement, homework completion, improve attitudes about school and decrease discipline issues.

"Winning the 2017 Jaffe Award has helped catapult our organization to the next level," says Michelle Horovitz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Appetite for Change. She continues, "We are expanding our footprint both physically and in impact. This award has meant more than just a grant to us; it means connecting with other amazing women across the country doing great work and knowing that we have the support of a whole network at ascena."

A luncheon to honor the winners of the 2018 Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards will take place on October 17th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.  

Leading up to the luncheon, ascena Foundation will host the third annual Alumni Summit that will convene all previous grant recipients; further encouraging collaborations and partnerships among philanthropic organizations.

To begin the entry process for the 2018 Jaffe Awards, eligible participants must first be nominated (by themselves or another). All nominations must be submitted by May 24, 2018. Nomination forms will be available in-store at most Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, maurices, dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Catherines and Justice locations or online at www.jaffeawards.com. For additional information about the Roslyn S. Jaffe Awards, please visit www.jaffeawards.com.  

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About Roslyn S. Jaffe
Roslyn S. Jaffe co-founded the first dressbarn store in 1962; currently she is Co-Founder, Secretary & Director Emeritus for Life of ascena retail group, inc. She is a graduate of Simmons College, and was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree in management from Simmons College in 2011.

In 1962, Roslyn S. Jaffe was a working mother who, with her husband Elliott, saw a need and had a brilliant business idea - a one-stop-shop that offered the convenience of a value-based, yet fashion forward "work" wardrobe solution for busy women. Roslyn and Elliot seized the opportunity and opened a small store named dressbarn in Stamford, CT and helped transform it into what is now ascena retail group, inc., a multibillion dollar family of brands including Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, maurices, dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Catherines and Justice.  A true trailblazer and entrepreneur, Mrs. Jaffe credits her success to strength, determination and a can-do attitude. But, most of all, she credits the company's success to a strong team of family, friends and associates.

Understanding the needs of her co-workers, many of whom were also "working moms," Roslyn Jaffe encouraged a close-knit community where associates could rely on each other. In addition, Mrs. Jaffe supported like-minded organizations in the community and was an early advocate for Dress for Success®, an organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. This "take care of your own" camaraderie is what inspired the company to develop a culture of giving back.

About ascena Foundation
ascena Foundation, established by ascena retail group, inc., is a commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. The ascena Foundation supports ascena's collective of purpose-driven brands that focus their charitable giving on supporting women and children, and the causes most important to them.

About ascena retail group inc.
About ascena retail group, inc. ascena retail group, inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) is a leading national specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes, and accessories for women under the Premium Fashion segment (Ann Taylor, LOFT, and Lou & Grey), Value Fashion segment (maurices and dressbarn), Plus Fashion segment (Lane Bryant, Catherines and Cacique), and for tween girls under the Kids Fashion segment (Justice). ascena retail group, inc. operates ecommerce websites and approximately 4,700 stores throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For more information about ascena retail group, inc. visit: ascenaretail.com, AnnTaylor.com,  LOFT.com, louandgrey.com, maurices.com, dressbarn.com, lanebryant.com, Catherines.com, and shopjustice.com.

More Details on the 2018 Jaffe Awards
NO PURCH NEC. TO ENTER/ WIN. A PURCH WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. Requires 2 steps: nomination of nominee & submission by nominee of app. Nomination period: 3/15/18 at 12:00:00pm ET to 5/24/18 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Apps must be recv'd by 11:59:59pm ET on 5/31/18. Anyone 18+ can nominate, but each nominee must be (a) 18+, (b) a legal resident of 1 of the 50 US or DC & (c) the creator or founder of a social impact org ("Org.") that (i) is either (A) itself a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt legal entity or (B) has a formal, written fiscal-sponsorship arrangement with another 501(c)(3) tax-exempt legal entity (ii) is independent & autonomous (i.e., nominee must be principal decision maker in mgmt./development matters) & is not substantially supported by, or serving the purpose of promoting, religious or political orgs./beliefs, (iii) is US-based & (iv) has a primary objective related to improving health, education, or esteem or to leadership development or social reform and benefiting low- and middle-income women and/or children in the US. Subject to Official Rules at jaffeawards.com, which contain more details on eligibility and the nomination, application & judging/winner-selection processes. ARV of grand prize: $100,000; ARV of each runner-up prize: $25,000; total ARV of all prizes: $150,000. Prizes awarded to each winning nominee's Org. (or to fiscal sponsor for the benefit of the Org., if Org. is not itself tax-exempt entity), not to the individual nominee in his/her individual capacity. Winners req'd to attend Sponsor event in New York, NY, on 10/17/2018. Sponsor: Ascena Foundation, 933 MacArthur Blvd., Mahwah, NJ 07430.

SOURCE ascena Foundation