Riverside students, salon helping to put…charity in fashion

Mentor business helping raise funds to pay off school’s new field house

They will be primping. They will be styling. All of this will be done with the goal of adding to the foundation. But when Jenniffer & Co. of Mentor conducts its fashion show from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Riverside High School in Painesville Township, stylists will be doing much more then adding foundation to the faces of the models.

The purpose of the show is to secure the foundation of the Riverside Community Field House.

All proceeds for the show organized by Riverside alumna Becky Novak will defray costs for construction of the field house. "I wanted to help raise money for it, " Novak said. So she used her skills as a hair stylist for Jenniffer & Co. to create a fashion show.

The fashion show comes as the Riverside Community Athletic Foundation continues seeking funds for the new field house at the Riverside campus. The field house, which opened last fall, was constructed with a combination of donated money, materials and labor and a bank loan.

Foundation treasurer Andria Matson said the group has raised about $270,000 from community pledges so far. "It's far from paid off," Matson said. She said the biggest misconception is that since the building is constructed and open, all the bills are paid. She said the foundation must raise $450,000.

Matson said whether it is a fashion show or some other event, it helps cut down the remaining debt. Matson said aside from special events, like this fashion show, the foundation is using weekly proceeds from bingo to help retire the debt. The foundation treasurer said bingo has raised about $70,000 in about nine months.

"Our commitment is to see it debt free," Matson said.

She said the foundation was pleased to learn about the fashion show. There will be 50 Riverside students from grades eight through 12 who will be models for the fashion show. The fashion show has five categories: sports/lifestyle, preppy gone bad, cowgirl, formal and avante garde. The fashion show is part of a bigger event that allows about 70 businesses to show off their services. Food and refreshments also will be available, she said.

Novak said so far, more then 800 people have purchased tickets at $5 a piece.

For more information, call (440) 266-4247

By Curt W. Olson
Staff writer - News Herald (22nd April 2002)press section