It was a showcase of fashion for a cause at the Great Neck Inn on Wednesday night, with more than 200 people attending an event that raised over $15,000 for sick children, according to organizers.
The event, organized by DeFranco Spagnolo Salon and Day Spa, aimed to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a non-profit group that tries to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to help empower them.
“It’s a charitable organization and they always do the right thing,” Dr. Ed Rosenthal, a doctor from Great Neck, said at the event.
The night featured models who overcame terminal sickness and were garbed in clothes from local store-owners.
There were also raffles that sold donated products like tickets to an exclusive restaurant, gift cards and beauty products worth anywhere between $200 and $800, organizers said, as well as bake sales.
Claudia Ferri, an event coordinator with DeFranco Spagnolo, said that the salon has always done fundraising to fight breast cancer. But this was the first time they did something like this outside the salon, she said, and it went really well.
“We think it went fantastic,” Ferri said, noting that they estimate nearly 250 people attended. “As my boss keeps saying, we rocked the house.”
Nicholas DeFranco, one of the owners of the salon, said that an event like this was appropriate for them. Not only could they host a fashion show, he said, but they get to help sick children.
“Make-a-Wish is a great cause and as hairdressers we like to play with hair, we like to do stuff like this, put on fashion shows,” DeFranco said. “This is a lot of fun for us and Make-a-Wish is such a great cause with what they do for the kids that it just seemed like a great thing to do for them.”
And for many people there, the chance to help bring a little joy into a child’s world might have been priceless.
“To make children smile is the best thing in the world,” Adriana Saponara, one of the attendees, said.
Luke Torrance contributed reporting.
