Benefit to aid Special Olympics

Each year, students put on a fashion show for a specific charity. This year, the Benefit committee, headed by seniors Erin Wong, Talia Balma and Sara Padash, has chosen to support Special Olympics. The show will be held on May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Large Gym.

For the past shows, about 100 students participate in the show. The event raises money for the chosen charity through the silent auction, money donations and ticket sales. Last year, the show benefited the Tim Griffith Memorial Foundation, which helps to heal and strengthen Bay Area communities by providing support and services to those affected by addiction, violence and loss.

“We raise anywhere from $4,000-$7,000,” said Padash. “It just depends on the donations and the number of people that come to the show.”

The commissioners have been planning the show for about a year. According to Wong, the three commissioners get together at least once a week to organize details for the show, call stores and make fitting times for the student models.

“A lot of what we are currently working on is getting items for the silent auction that is held before the show starts as well as during intermission,” Wong said.

An addition to this year’s show, some of the actual athletes with the Special Olympics will be walking at the beginning of the show, said Balma.

It is expected that there will be a good turnout for the show.

“We have a lot of people involved in the show and some of the stores that are sponsoring us are helping with advertising,” said Wong. “Hopefully a lot of people come out and watch the show.”

Planning can get stressful for the commissioners. However, the hours spent on the show make for a great bonding experience for the three senior heads, said Balma.

“I’m most excited to see the whole show come together,” said Wong. “It’s so much work and can be really stressful at times, but seeing the final outcome will be worth all of the stress and craziness.”