The Hermosa Beach Community Center saw an evening of fashion and fun glamour as Sandpiper Juniors hosted its biggest annual fundraiser Friday night: a spring season fashion show.
Participating high school students paraded down a stage
flaunting party dresses, casual outfits and sportswear as speakers
blasted pop hits by Ke$ha, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.
The show, titled “Under the Sea,” was done with a sense of humor
as the models ended their stage walks with silly poses and chirpy jumps
in the air. Local shops provided the clothes.
The philanthropic organization Sandpipers,
which consists of mothers and daughters in the South Bay, thanked the
senior students, who are now leaving the organization to attend college,
for their volunteer work in the junior organization.
Many of the girls who modeled in the fashion show had to attend a
certain number of meetings, have their community service hours
up-to-date, and fulfill certain dues and ticket requirements in order to
rip the runway.
During the last four years, these students have committed 2,300 hours
of service to the South Bay community, according to the organization.
They helped out in soup kitchens, visited sick children in hospitals,
delivered holiday gifts to orphans and assisted Sandpipers with local
events and programs.
Before last night's fundraiser, which included raffle tickets and a
silent auction, the girls have raised $8,500 this year for charity.
Many of the girls involved with Sandpiper Juniors said that they've
been deeply changed by their experiences and the people they've met in a
positive way.
Stephanie Schlabach, who will be attending San Diego State University
this fall, told Patch that Sandpiper Juniors was a part of "some of my
best times in high school."
Several seniors have discovered a calling to become teachers. One
local girl wants to work in the non-profit world, and most of
Stephanie’s fellow volunteers plan to be involved with other
philanthropic projects in the future.
"Since mothers are involved with the philanthropic aspects of
Sandpipers, there's a legacy and opportunity for their daughters to get
involved with the organization, but with work that relates to them,”
said Stephanie's mother Diane Schlabach, who handled ticket sales for
Friday night’s event and has been a Sandpipers member since 1995. Back
then her daughter was only 18 months old.
Stephanie and the other girls “run a board, fundraise their money and
run completely separate from the main organization. They usually raise
money and give it to other children's organizations in the South Bay,
because they have to do volunteer hours," Diane said.
"The girls are very exposed to things that they probably didn't know
existed in their own backyard, like providing diapers, clothing and
other bare necessities to people who might be living on the street or in
shelters,” Diane added. “It's a life-altering experience for them."
--http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/fashion-show-celebrates-service
