The Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Auxiliary hosted its annual Fashion Show which raised more than $85,000 for a new adolescent rehabilitation gym at the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, on Saturday, Feb. 25. More than 380 guests attended to show their support for Miller Children’s & Women’s at the first fashion show since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are so happy to be able to host the Fashion Show in person again and receive the support of our community," says Roxie Hause, president, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach Auxiliary. "Everything we do is to support the kids at Miller Children's & Women's by providing opportunities to help support and expand its services."
At the Fashion Show, the Auxiliary had professional models strut the runway wearing fashions from local designers Roger Canamar, Priestly Garments and Anna Gupta Couture. In addition to the fashion show, the Auxiliary hosted a silent auction for attendees to bid on prizes and had jazz singer, Johnny Blu and pianist, Richard Castle serenade the crowd.
“Many of the adolescents in our outpatient center have developmental diseases, disorders or conditions that hinder their movement and endurance,” says Christina Bell, executive director, outpatient specialty, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. “The adolescent gym will help provide more adolescent patients with age-appropriate physical therapy since it will have equipment that is the correct size and caters toward facilitating healthy adolescent growth.”
The Miller Children’s Auxiliary is a fundraising group that supports Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach through its designer fashion show, shopping fair, and hospital gift shop. Over the years, the Auxiliary has donated more than $18 million to the hospital, including a $500,000 pledge in 2020 to raise funds for the adolescent rehabilitation gym in the Children’s Village. The funds raised from this year’s fashion show were used to complete their pledge. The Auxiliary’s Fashion Show and Silent Auction Committee gather to commemorate their hard work and success for the event with a photo.
