Fashion set to bloom at Acorn Family Place

North End

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This article was published 07/08/2024 (515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The art of fashion has taken over Acorn Family Place (222 Furby St.) in the last several months — and at 6 p.m. on Aug. 9, the hard work and modelling skills of approximately 11 participants, young and old, will be put on display.

The inaugural fashion fundraising event, in support of the programs and services at the family focused, non-profit community hub in the North End, will hit the runway with a selection of fun and personal outfits — all of which were constructed using clothing from the organization’s donated clothing drive. The event will take place on-site at Acorn Family Place and while the date is coming up quick, those interested are still able to nab a ticket either in person or online.

Audience members can expect bit of everything, according to manager of operations Mélissa Perron, who wanted to do a fashion show since she started working at Acorn Family Place in 2015.

“I see such beautiful pieces of clothing going through the donation drive,” said Perron, 38. “And then I see the participants. Sometimes, when they just put on something that they might not take home, they just do a little parade in our atrium showing that piece and I’ve always been like, ‘OK, how do I bring that to the world? How do I make other people see this?’ So I’ve always had it in the back of my mind.”

The idea finally came to fruition six months ago, she said, and the ball’s been rolling along since.

Tickets — which cost $25 — are the primary way to support the organization but the outfits themselves will also be going up for auction after the event.

All funds collected, from both the auction and the show itself, will help provide essential items, food and programming for both children and adults, Perron said. Essentially, any and all support is needed to keep things afloat. The services at Acorn Family Place are offered to families for free, from donated clothing to the supervised playroom.

It’s hard to describe Acorn Family Place in a few sentences, but Perron knows where to start:

“I think the biggest thing that I love seeing, when I’m walking into the space or working on the fashion show, is just that sense of community,” she said. “These are all families from different walks of life, different parts of the world, that are just coming together because they want something for their kids. So they really touch base, get together around their kids and help each other. It is so beautiful to see the friendship that is being formed in our centre.”

As a way of sharing that with the audience, whether it’s familiar with Acorn Family Place or not, participants in the fashion show will be sharing their stories and experience with the space as the show moves along.

“I think, hearing those stories, people (attending) the fashion show will see that sense of community and see the importance of building it. That’s pretty magical,” Perron said.

To learn more about Acorn Family Place or purchase tickets online, visit acornfamilyplace.ca or call Perron at 204-560-3144.