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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Clothing Designer Fashions Cystic Fibrosis Benefit

The saying “and a child shall lead them” accurately describes entrepreneur Grace Rose Bauer’s efforts. The 12-year-old fashion designer and founder of young adult fashion line Rosie G Collections in Los Angeles brought more than 300 people together for a fundraiser Aug. 15. Bauer’s event, a fashion show that featured her latest designs, was held to support research into cystic fibrosis, a disease she has battled her entire life. Tickets cost $100 for adults and $30 for children. Bauer said the event raised about $30,000 through ticket sales and $1,500 from a silent auction. The money benefited the L.A. chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “I think it was a bit more than I expected, definitely the amount of people who came. I thought that the models did a really great job and I wasn’t 100 percent sure how that would go because some of them were young,” she said. “But I’m really happy about the celebrities and how many tickets we sold.” To say that there was celebrity support is an understatement. The event was co-hosted by actors Michael Chiklis, best known for TV drama “The Shield,” and JR Bourne from MTV’s “Teen Wolf.” DJ Young1 from “America’s Got Talent” performed, and Disney Channel’s Landry Bender from “Best Friends Whenever” and Ava Kolker from “Girl Meets World” were also in attendance, among many others. The three-hour event was hosted on CBS Studios’ back lot in Studio City. The fashion show featured performances by celebrities and a final dance number by Bauer and a handful of models. Event sponsors included PackIt Co., Grilled Cheese Truck, Scoops Ice Shoppe on Wheels, Organic Candy Factory, Geek Eyewear and Essie Eye Polish, among others. “We’ve had a fashion fundraiser every year since I was 9 months old. We do them every year in New Orleans because that’s where we’re fun,” Bauer said. “But this year we decided this is home, too, so we might as well do it here and reach a bigger audience.” The Rosie G collection is sold predominantly online, though Bauer, with the help of her mother, Leah, is pushing to get her line into children stores this year starting with Pippen Lane in New Orleans. According to a feature written about the 12-year-old entrepreneur in Forbes, buyers from Fred Segal and other notable stores have displayed interest as well. Building Charity Jeffrey C. Albee, executive vice president at Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate in Woodland Hills, spends a lot of his free time volunteering with the West Valley Food Pantry. And he knows that summer, when regular donors go on vacation, often sees stock running low at the nonprofit food bank. “When I look at all the single moms with kids this food pantry is helping, I always want to do all I can,” Albee said. So this year, he came up with an idea he hopes will get local real estate brokers, landlords and businesses involved: a first-annual food drive that will take place in the lobbies of 30 commercial office buildings across the Valley from Aug. 15-29. “We have gotten a tremendous response from building owners, who are allowing us to put food donation boxes in their lobbies and letting their tenants know about it,” he said. “Our goal is to get 5,000 pounds of packaged foods and canned goods, with cereal, tuna, peanut butter and soup as our top-requested donations.” Landlords and tenants who would like to get their building on board with the food drive or who need more detailed information can contact Albee at (818) 731-7385. Fighting Violence Domestic violence is a growing issue in this country, and can often lead to severe bodily harm and disfigurement, if not death. With this in mind, Les Boudoirs Boutique, a lingerie store in Westlake Village, hosted a shopping benefit at its store in the Westlake Plaza and Center. The proceeds were donated to Face Forward, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles that raises money to help pay for reconstructive surgeries for women and children who have been disfigured due to domestic violence. On Aug. 15, customers were invited to browse the retailer’s selection of upscale swimwear and lingerie, and 100 percent of the $3,000 raised through the sale was donated to the nonprofit. Staff reporter Champaign Williams can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].

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