Store stitches a new life for enterprising women

Intermountain Catholic

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OGDEN – Brightly colored gowns hang from clothing trees, joined by neat piles of holiday-themed place settings on shelves and glittering jewelry in cases. Give Me a Chance at 2620 Washington Blvd. in Ogden looks like many another retail store, but in reality it’s an opportunity for the low-income women who produce the merchandise to earn money for themselves and their families.

OGDEN – Brightly colored gowns hang from clothing trees, joined by neat piles of holiday-themed place settings on shelves and glittering jewelry in cases. Give Me a Chance at 2620 Washington Blvd. in Ogden looks like many another retail store, but in reality it’s an opportunity for the low-income women who produce the merchandise to earn money for themselves and their families.

The non-profit is stocked primarily with items handmade by students in Daughter of Charity Sister Maria Nguyen’s sewing class.

"All of them are low income, have no job or are under employed," Sr. Maria said. "They are interested in learning something so they can better themselves." Their goals are to be able to support themselves, find a job or become an entrepreneur, she added.

"What Sr. Maria did was motivate people to believe in themselves so that they can do that," said Maricela Romero, who made her own wedding dress while she was a student in the class. She herself has decided to "go back to school and do something with my life and teach other people and help other people who need the help," she said during the grand opening of Give Me a Chance on Nov. 10.

The store grew out of the sewing classes, the first of which was held in April of this year, said Sr. Maria, who has a business background and is trained in social work. A grant from the Daughters of Charity helped secure the building and some of the equipment; other items were donated by Sr. Maria’s sister, who owned a sewing business.

Sr. Maria also worked with the St. Benedict Foundation’s social entrepreneurship group. The group’s chair, Michael Joseph, said they often wish for people who have ideas that will benefit the community and also have the talent and energy to make the dream a reality. Sr. Maria has all those qualities, he said. "She not only has a great vision but has the energy and the drive and the talent to make it realized," he said. "We have learned that the most important thing to do is get out of her way."

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey, the keynote speaker at the grand opening, said he was impressed that the shop offers an opportunity for people to become self sufficient. "It’s very impressive to see people who can identify a need in the community and come up with a solution," he said.

Self-sufficiency is the goal for the shop, said Sr. Maria. "The mission of Give Me a Chance is to empower low-income women by teaching them the marketable skill" and provide them an opportunity to become self-sufficient, she said. "My hope and dream for Give Me a Chance is for it to become self-sufficient within three to five years."

Give Me a Chance, 2620 Washington Blvd. in Ogden, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.