No clichés, no spin … just making a difference.

If John Q. Public walked into the Rayburn Foyer Wednesday, he would be amazed at what members of Congress, lobbyists and the D.C. business community are doing together to help our fellow citizens.

Party lines, agendas and politics aside, they would witness a sea of suits being collected, in what has become the largest clothing drive ever held on Capitol Hill — all for the benefit of Americans looking for a second chance.

Wednesday is the annual Capitol PurSuit Drive. This event, sponsored by the American League of Lobbyists, The Hill newspaper and Men’s Wearhouse, collects gently used business attire to benefit Americans in need of interview-ready, professional attire.

Over the past four years, in just 16 hours, with the tremendous support of nonprofit organizations such as Working Wardrobes, Career Gear and other local associations, the Capitol PurSuit Drive has received over 30,000 articles of gently used business attire that were immediately utilized by nonprofit organizations to help people who need assistance entering the workforce. Affording proper interview and working attire is an enormous obstacle for low-income adults and at-risk youth. The Capitol PurSuit Drive is instrumental in helping remove this obstacle and getting Americans back to work. After all, we all know how important making a good first impression is.

This event illustrates why most of us came to Washington in the first place — to make a difference. As the founder of the event, I am proud to say that the work we do each year gives people the most precious gift of all: hope. Hope for a second chance and a better life.

Leading up to the big day, lobbying firms across the metro area have been collecting hundreds of items from their lobbyists and staff. Members of Congress and their staffs have been piling up the suits to do their part. Associations have solicited their staffs and industry members for clothing donations. Even the White House gets involved and collects from its campus. In every corner of D.C., volunteerism and the tangible commitment to helping our fellow American through this event is palpable.

Last year, dozens of top lobbying shops participated in a friendly collection competition to be crowned with the title of the “Most Suitable” firm. Golin Harris won the title for the second year in a row by collecting close to 400 suits and other articles of business attire. Mike Fulton, executive president at Golin Harris, states, “The suit drive is a great way for lobbyists and their clients to give unselfishly to others, and our firm’s employees and clients have stepped up to the plate to enthusiastically collect clothing and build good will.” Although Fulton seems confident that the firm will defend its title once again, the competition is heating up.

This is the Washington that those outside the Beltway don’t see often enough. John Q. Public has no idea that lobbyists give hundreds of hours of their time in support of charitable events like this.

Unfortunately, those outside the Beltway have such a misperception of the lobbying community and of Congress that they miss out on some of the truly amazing things we do to help people.

For many of us in D.C., “making a difference” is more than some campaign slogan, it’s a commitment of service to our fellow Americans. It is what we do every day and the moral compass that guides us.

So I hope today you gave YOUR suit off your rack and made a difference in someone’s life. If you would like more information on this year’s event or want to find out how you can be involved in next year’s event please visit http://www.mwcapitol.com/probono/pursuit.cfm  .


Dave Wenhold, CAE, is a founding partner of Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies , a Washington government-affairs and grassroots lobbying firm. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it