Runway ready

The return of the HUB Center for Seniors’ semiannual fundraising runway show May 13 drew 75 attendees, 19 models and raised $1,700 for the HUB.

A significant portion of money came from a sponsorship by the Haven In Allyn Assisted Living, courtesy of founders and co-owners Debra and Ron Jamerson.

The event included Belfair Self-Storage manager Barbara Treick’s BABS (Barbara’s Accessories and Bags Store), Birdi Nagy’s Birdi Designs, Jess Tomato’s Silver Crucible and Grace Wagner, who teaches jewelry-making at the HUB.

Treick and Nagy were active in coordinating the event and gave their appreciation to their partners in putting it all together. Nagy praised Tomato’s “lovely, high-quality” silver and bronze bracelets and rings that appeared in the fashion show. Nagy also noted that lunch was provided by chef Jeff Rumsey and his crew, while Sarah Scott and volunteers were the models’ hairstylists and makeup artists.

Nagy said most of the models wore two outfits each, consisting of pieces from the designers and items from the HUB’s thrift store “mixed and matched together.” The models ranged from elementary school students to seniors, and included two men.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I was impressed,” said Heather Reese of Heather Reese Photography, who shot the event. “I loved that it was all ages. Everyone was smiling and laughing during the purse game.”

Treick was especially entertained by a 15-year-old puppy in a purse and two models walking down the runway at the same time, which led to a dance-off “with dips, hip-pops, twirls and poses.”

“During rehearsal, a young lady was timidly following us around as I gave instructions to two other young models,” Treick said. “I asked if she would like to model, and her face lit up!”

Treick and Beth Gizzi, executive director of the HUB, then fetched the young lady two outfits from the HUB’s thrift store.

“The day of the runway show, after she had her hair and makeup done, she walked up to me with a wee bit of a swagger,” Treick said. “She was already beautiful, but she’d gained confidence as well. Even beyond supporting a good cause, moments like that make all the hard work of planning and organizing such an event worth it. Watching her walk tugged at my heartstrings.”

Treick gushed over the walkaway dress Nagy fashioned from Treick’s own fabric.

“She kept the final design secret from me,” Treick said. “I was so surprised with Birdi’s patterning ability, and how she was able to make my favorite pattern look so wonderful.”

Nagy’s favorite featured items included not only that same walkaway dress, but also a convertible leather backpack, which could be worn as a backpack or carried as a shoulder bag.

Staging the show reinforced the value of practice for Nagy, and also taught her that fun is not only infectious, but vital to such an event.

“I learned that the people around me will have more fun if they’re able to see that those of us running the event are having fun too,” Nagy said.

Treick cited instances of HUB workers’ helpfulness, from assembling video and musical playlists for two runaways to lending models helping hands as they stepped up onto the runways.

“When you have the right people in place, you can just let them do what they’re there to do, and let go of trying to manage the minor details,” Treick said. “It made this event so much more fun.”

Gizzi said money from the event will go toward supporting the many programs the HUB runs through “Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” including senior food commodities, a food pantry, referrals and advocacy, and free libraries for medical lending and literacy building, and in-kind donations that provide clothing, shoes, household goods, tents, sleeping bags and “most anything else within our power to give” through the HUB Shop.

“We’ve staged some sort of fashion show for many years, with many different themes, but Birdi and Barbara put on what was, by far, the most professional and well-run show we’ve ever had,” Gizzi said. “The models were treated like royalty, and you could feel the joy as they walked down the runaway.”

Author Bio

Kirk Boxleitner, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
[email protected]