Actress Garcelle Beauvais and WPLG Local 10 News Anchor Calvin Hughes co-hosted the event September 9th at Fontainebleau Miami Beach for 350 People
About $55,000 was raised for Catwalk for Charity, a local nonprofit organization that inspires and empowers impoverished children in Haiti through education. The local charity held its fifth annual fashion fundraiser and luncheon on Sunday, September 9, 2018, from noon to 4 p.m., at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. World-renowned, Haitian-American actress Garcelle Beauvais and WPLG Local 10 news anchorCalvin Hughes co-hosted the star-studded event. The brunch culminated with a fashion show curated by Saks Fifth Avenue featuring the latest fall collections.
About 350 supporters enjoyed two hours of cocktails and silent auction bidding. Celebrity attendees who walked the red carpet and enjoyed the seated champagne lunch included: Garcelle Beauvais, Haitian-American actress, Calvin Hughes, WPLG Local 10 news anchor, Miss World Peru 2018 Clarisse Luciano Uribe Cruces, Adriana De Moura, artist and TV personality from Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Miami”, Juan Pablo,fashion designer and Suzanne Lerner, philanthropist and CEO of Michael Stars.
The Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show was followed by a live concert by AYIITI and a lingerie show featuring feathered wings created by Victoria Secret wing designer, Juan Pablo.
The 2018 honorees of the event included: Suzanne Lerner, president and owner of Michael Stars, Carol Phillips, stylist and personal shopper extraordinaire for Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour, Love Pun, Haiti Administrator for the Be like Brit organization, and Claudia Coupet, realtor and Catwalk for Charity committee member.
Catwalk for Charity is a philanthropic fashion event that raises money to provide quality education for impoverished children in Haiti. Proceeds from the fundraiser will help support the organization’s annual initiatives, including a back-to-school supply drive benefitting more than 2,100 Haitian children between the ages of 4 and 14 years old at PRODEV schools, as well as the Breakfast with Santa’s Joy of Giving program for over 5,000 children.
The charity was founded in 2006 by Haitian native Judith Joseph. Passionate about education and making a difference in underprivileged children’s lives, Joseph organized a group of professional women to plan and organize an annual fashion show fundraiser as well as other activities throughout the year to benefit the children in Haiti and the PRODEV schools.
Haiti is home to 11 million people, with children making up 54 percent of the population. However, 64.3 percent of boys and 57.3 percent of girls are unable to read or write.
PRODEV was established in 1995 and has provided education to about 30,000 children. PRODEV’s mission is to improve the quality of education in Haiti and to ensure that all children are not only attending school, but also thriving and learning in a conducive environment. After the 2010 earthquake, PRODEV operated 14 elementary schools and eight kindergartens in 10 camps around Port-au-Prince for up to two years. PRODEV schools are located in the slums of Haiti’s capital with the highest level of gun violence and poverty.
“Resilience of Haitian children is evident in their desire to attend school every day,” explains Judith Joseph, founder of Catwalk for Charity. “Our mission is to increase awareness and promote solutions to the challenges faced by these impoverished children. We believe that quality education is a fundamental right
of every child which is why the proceeds from our Catwalk for Charity fundraiser will help to provide access and resources for these impoverished students.”
This year’s key event sponsors included Saks Fifth Avenue, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Petion Law, Michael Stars and Russian Standard Vodka.
