Annual fashion show raises more than $15,000…
Annual fashion show raises more than $15,000 for Childrens Hospital
Arcadia's Brittannie Bohman, right, and Kim Arvdalen, left, pose during the fashion show.
By Sandra T. Molina | smolina@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
PUBLISHED: October 8, 2008 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 30, 2017 at 12:57 p.m.
• Photo Gallery: Whittier Guild for CHLA Fashion Show
WHITTIER – The Whittier Guild for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles' annual fashion show Wednesday was a family affair for at least one member.
Lucille Peak, 91, of Whittier, a longtime guild member, had two special reasons to celebrate the group's 60th anniversary with the fundraising fashion show at Radisson Hotel Whittier.
One granddaughter, Desirae Klein, 25, of Santa Monica, was a model in the show.
Another family member, great-granddaughter Jaquelyn, 4, was a patient at the hospital, as recently as five months ago.
"I knew Childrens Hospital was a great place before, but after my little granddaughter became ill, it was brought home," Peak said.
With one granddaughter doing better, Peak enjoyed watching the other, Desirae, on the three makeshift catwalks in the hotel's Grand Ballroom.
"I'm so proud of her, I can barely hold my tears back," Peak said as she joined about 250 others watching the fashion show.
The models, some professional and some volunteers, wore designs provided by Talbots of Pasadena and celebrity fashion designer Tatyana Peter.
"I support the guild's efforts because there's nothing better than helping children," Peter said.
Guild President Robin De La Pena, in her opening remarks, thanked those in attendance and those who volunteered their time and services to help raise money for the hospital, which was founded in 1901.
"You are priceless gems," she said.
Richard Cordova, president and CEO of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, thanked the guild for its support throughout the years.
The guild has raised about $40,000 in the past, from the fashion show alone, in support of the hospital, and is estimating more than $15,000 from Wednesday's program.
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, a private, nonprofit teaching hospital, provides multidisciplinary care to more than 80,000 children annually.
He also said their financial assistance has helped pay for the research that has lowered the mortality rate in pediatric cancer patients.
"Twenty years ago, a child's survival rate from cancer was 20 percent," Cordova said. "Now it's over 80 percent."
Another speaker, actress and producer Lupe Ontiveros of "Desperate Housewives" fame, called the group's endeavors life-changing.
"You make a difference," she told the audience.
sandra.molina@sgvn.com
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Sandra T. Molina | reporter
Sandra Molina is a native Southern Californian, the oldest of three children raised by a single mom who named her after Dodgers great Sandy Koufax. She grew up in Monterey Park, but was schooled in Tarzana, through busing, and East Los Angeles. She is a proud alumna of Garfield High School in East Los Angeles; Rio Hondo College in Whittier; and Cal State University at Long Beach, where she earned a BA degree in English Literature. She began a career as a freelance writer and photographer in the San Gabriel Valley in 1997, in addition to being a writer/photographer for GoGirlsMusic.com as its Los Angeles correspondent. She has been a reporter with the San Gabriel Valley News Group since 2007 writing features, breaking news, entertainment, sports and crime. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys music, reading, going to the beach and spending time with family and friends.
smolina@scng.com
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