The owners of a local dress shop, Paula’s Moms and Proms, are once again hosting the “Paula’s Moms and Proms Fashion Show” as a benefit to support teen suicide prevention.
This event is on March 2 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Wildlife Experience in Parker and is open to the public. The fashion show costs $15 and the proceeds will benefit The Second Wind Fund.
Tickets are being sold by the models (juniors Clare Boehler, Courtney Dobbs, Katie Shortall, Sarah Sterling, Taylor Wallace, Zoe Wilson and freshman Lauren Tew), at the dress shop, and will also be sold at the door.
Paula’s Moms and Proms opened in 1991 and originally sold business attire. Then, as time passed, it became a social occasion shop.
After hearing about the suicides in recent years at Arapahoe, Paula and Hollie Mitchell, the owners of Paula’s, decided to put on the fashion show.
“A student brought up that Arapahoe students committed suicide and we decided to do something about it,” Hollie Mitchell, Paula’s daughter and co-owner of the shop, said.
In addition to the fashion show, which will feature prom dresses, the event will also promote suicide prevention and awareness. This event is put on to help support The Second Wind Fund, which helps families affected by suicide.
The folks at Paula’s Moms and Proms are not the only ones involved in this benefit to help prevent suicide. Kelly Weaver of Kelly Weaver Photography also joined the cause.
“They started the fashion show, we started supplying them with the models and it was a perfect combination,” Weaver said. “It’s great that all these vendors are coming together for a common purpose. We are all joining together to help and it’s a great opportunity.”
The Second Wind Fund supports the families that have gone through suicide.
“They help families that have either had someone that has attempted [suicide] or after the [act],” Weaver said. “The biggest benefit in what they provide is they hook people up with counselors.”
The money the fashion show raises goes not only to support the fund but also to the counselors who give help dealing with suicide for those who ask for it.
“This money pays the counselors to be on call for anyone who needs counseling,” Mitchell said. “I believe this is a great way to give back to the community.”
The show raises its money by selling tickets and raffling off gift cards. The fashion show last year raised $3,000 and about 250 people came to the show.
“The fashion show was a great success and we plan on doing it annually,” Mitchell said.
The models who are involved in this event are very passionate about the cause the money they raise goes to.
“People need to be more aware of suicide and how to prevent it,” model Courtney Dobbs said. “It is a mental disease and it’s something people can’t control and they can’t be shy about what they feel. They have to tell someone.”
Many of the models are participating because they believe in and support The Second Wind Fund.
“Teen suicide hits home here at Arapahoe after the many attempts,” model Lauren Tew said. “I know many who have gone through these situations. I believe in the fund, which is what matters most.”
Weaver does not recruit or advertise for new models. She lets her previous models do the talking.
“Our previous clients refer our models to us or they have heard of our program somehow,” Weaver said. “We don’t go out and market it.”
Many people believe fashion shows are all about beauty and promoting clothes, but this show focuses on its benefit.
“This fashion show is not just to promote dresses,” Dobbs said. “It’s to help benefit a good cause.”
There many different ways the girls became involved, but the desire to help is still the same for them.
“It sounded fun and it benefits something important,” model Zoe Wilson said. “It also teaches girls to have confidence in themselves and helps with suicide prevention.”
The women running this event notice how the event is affecting the girls involved.
“This event helps girls get more engaged,” Mitchell said. “These girls are willing to help others, which is great to see.”
Even though the girls enjoy participating in the show, the reason for the event is still sobering.
“We had to hear a lot of sad stories about suicide,” Mitchell said. “It is a sad topic to talk about, but people need to know more about the subject,”
Most of the girls who have joined the cause are from a teen empowerment program started by Weaver.
“Kelly Weaver is about self-confidence, and suicide [prevention] goes hand and hand with it,” model Sarah Sterling said.
The fashion show focuses on inner beauty to promote self-confidence.
“We like to call them ‘ambassadors’ more than models,” Weaver said. “Our teen empowerment program focuses on inner beauty and has nothing to do with how you look. It doesn’t matter what the models look like to us.”
Getting ready for the fashion show can make a model with insecurities feel confident.
“Modeling can help with self-esteem,” Mitchell said. “The girls feel beautiful and good about themselves when being all dressed up.”
This outlook affects the models involved in the prom fashion show.
“Society seems to think you have to be tall and skinny to be a model,” Dobbs said. “In this group, they use real girls and anyone who wants to participate can. It shows that you are always good enough.”
For more information you can contact the sponsors: Paula’s Moms and Proms at (303)-689-9593 or visit their shop at 2500 East Orchard Road in Greenwood Village, or contact Kelly Weaver at (720)-201-0402 or at www.kellyweaverphotography.com.