Fashion show raises money

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By Special Contributor
Posted on February 3, 2010 | News | No comment

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By Shea Rattan

The Bean will serve more than food this spring. Students who head to the Bean to attend the annual spring fashion show, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Enrichment, will have a chance to serve by donating clothing to help earthquake victims in Haiti.

"People want to find a way to help but may just not know how," said assistant producer Preston Watkins, sophomore advertising/public relations major from Manassas, Va.

Admission for this year's fashion show, titled A la Mode…, isn't monetary; students are only required to bring two or more items of clothing. Producer Whitney Puckett, junior public relations major from Melbourne, Fla., said many people have already given money, but she wanted to give them a chance to donate something personal.

"I don't want $5 in a bucket," she said. "I want the shirt off your back."

The show will be in three parts; the first will be what Watkins calls "formal with a twist," the second will be selected items from The Campus Store, and the third will be donated clothing. The student models will donate their own items and combine them with items donated by audience members to create new outfits, so those who attend should bring new or gently used clothing, Puckett said.

Rather than donating the clothes directly to Haiti, the OME will sell the donations in a "yard sale" sometime after the show. The OME has partnered with Aramark and the nonprofit agency Mobile Medical Disaster Relief to raise and deliver the proceeds to Haiti. Also, one-third of proceeds from sales of the selected Campus Store items will be donated.

Students who want to be more involved with the show can volunteer to do hair and makeup, help set up or clean up. However, the final – and simplest – way to get involved is by showing up, Puckett said.

"We just like people there," she said. "We like people being a part of a good cause."

The show is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. March 1 in the Bean.