Community invited to Catwalk For The Cure – a “fashion show with a cause” to benefit ACS
In what she says she hopes will become an annual event, “one that will grow year after year,” Hemet resident and area businesswoman Lauri Morris is inviting any and all to “Catwalk For The Cure,” an event she created not only to raise funds and awareness for Cancer research, but to bring awareness to the many programs available that help cancer patients on their way to becoming cancer survivors.
“Many people get diagnosed and feel there’s nowhere to turn and they start to lose hope,” Lauri – who suffers from a rare form of a leukemia – recently told RCNS. “But the American Cancer Society has housing near hospitals, ride programs, support groups, wig programs, and so much more.”
“It’s just so very important to make people aware,” Lauri explained. “We really want people to know about all the fantastic, cancer-related programs that are available to those who need them.”
“A fashion show with a cause”
According to Lauri, each and every model who will be featured during the event, billed as a “fashion show with a cause,” is either still battling cancer, a cancer survivor, or a caregiver to someone who has or had some form of cancer.
The models will be wearing outfits provided by Fashion18 District, Plush Cat Style – a plus-size boutique for women, and Lauri’s own business Diversified Diva Boutique., which is located inside Merle Norman Cosmetics and Wigs in the Temecula Target Shopping Center.
Hemet resident Lauri Morris created Catwalk For The Cure to raise money for Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society, and to honor and celebrate those who have or once had cancer, as well as those who have cared for them.
Nearly a half-dozen make-up artists and hair stylists, as well as a small cadre of volunteers, will be on hand “to help make the models feel special,” according to Lauri.
In addition to the fashion show, the event will also feature wine tasting; raffles; chances to shop fashion, jewelry, and accessories; as well as numerous vendors and area businesses. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the ACS through Lauri’s Relay For Life team, “Beauty And The Blood.”
Some of the vendors and local businesses planning on being at the event include Diversified Diva Boutique, Mary Kay, LipSence, Style Dots Jewelry, Chloe + Isabel jewelry, Plush Cat Style, and Traveling Vineyard.
Asked why she decided to create Catwalk For The Cure, Lauri explained, “I’m not only a survivor. For almost a year I have wanted to do something meaningful that would give me an opportunity to not only bring about better awareness of the programs that already exist, but also to raise money for ACS to potentially expand existing programs or even create new ones.”
“I wanted to do something that would combine my love for both fashion and fundraising and I already own a boutique and I know how to do this stuff,” Lauri continued. “I knew this was something I could do, so I created Catwalk For The Cure.”
“With this special event, we really want to encourage those who are still battling cancer, honor those who didn’t survive, thank the caregivers who give their everything to those they help care and provide for, and acknowledge all those programs that help those still battling cancer,” Lauri explained
“But most of all, we want to celebrate and honor the survivors. Those who have already won their personal battle with cancer.”
Catwalk For The Cure is scheduled for Oct. 20, at 1 p.m., at San Jacinto’s Golden Era Golf Club, at 19871 Gilman Springs Rd. Tickets for the show are $25. Donations can also be made directly to ACS.
The event is still in need of a few more models as well as potential sponsors. For more information about attending, sponsoring, or participating in the fashion show, contact Lauri Morris at (951) 327-3680.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.