Yolanda Morales was thrilled with the suit she received from Dress for Success New York. Soon after, she found a job at the Fortune Society.

But it was only a foot in the door. Landing the job is different from keeping one and moving up, especially for someone with a history of drug abuse and a prison record.

“I was hired in an entry-level position making $21,000 a year. That was good – in prison I was making 12 cents an hour,” she told 200 guests yesterday at a Dress for Success luncheon at the New York Athletic Club.

Ms. Morales was soon making much more, thanks to Dress for Success’s career development programs.

After a few weeks on the job, she received a $2,000 a year salary increase. One year later, Ms. Morales became a supervisor and doubled her starting salary.

“Dress for Success was so empowering. They treated me like a person, not an inmate. There’s no stopping me now,” Ms. Morales said.

As an honoree at the luncheon, Ms. Morales received a new suit and a $500 gift certificate from Dress Barn. But her greatest gift came from the keynote speaker, Patti Labelle.

“I’ll sing anything you want,” Ms. Labelle told Ms. Morales.

Ms. Morales requested “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Ms. Labelle belted it out beautifully.

The lunch raised funds for the Professional Women’s Group, a networking association for Dress for Success clients. The group convenes monthly for networking and seminars on credit, taxes, and career advancement. It is just one of the organization’s job retention programs.

Zoe Sheppard, for example, worked one-on-one with a motivational therapist.

“I was 49, and I had never had a 9-to-5 job,” she said.

With the help of her coach, she went to school and became a substance abuse counselor.

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The Museum of Modern Art’s Friends of Education group held its annual benefit Tuesday night. The group raises money to acquire work by African-American artists, such as Elizabeth Catlett, Glenn Ligon, Gary Simmons, and Willie Cole. It also develops programs to attract African-American audiences.

The event was memorable: “There were real conversations to be had, not the typical kind of chatter. The crowd was passionate about art and jazz and the cause of education,” said the benefit chairwoman, Sherry Bronfman, reached by telephone yesterday afternoon.

Dorothy Cullman was honored during the evening. “I love being in the presence of a woman of such wisdom and enthusiasm, a woman of great adventure,” said Mrs. Bronfman. “She was very, very helpful to me when I first started fund-raising,” Mrs. Bronfman added.

When Mrs. Cullman arrived, trumpeter Jon Faddis played “Summertime” in a soaring serenade. Mrs. Cullman also received an artwork by Ming Smith.

The event showed off the museum’s new spaces. The atrium was the first gathering spot, but guests quickly scattered to the galleries. Members were especially eager to see two works the group has helped bring to the museum: “Phantasy II,” a Norman Lewis painting on the fourth floor, and a series by Carrie Mae Weems works in the photography galleries.

MoMA staffers rounded up about 400 guests for a concert by Mr. Faddis in the Titus auditorium. Next came dinner in the lobby, which, filled with tables and flowers, felt surprisingly intimate. Saundra Parks of Daily Blossom created subtly festive centerpieces of orchids and evergreens on glass-topped silver stands.

Those who came to the podium included the chairman of the group, Dr. Stuart Lewis; the founder of the group, Akosua Barthwell Evans; the president emerita of the museum, Agnes Gund; and the director of the museum, Glenn Lowry.