By Steve Eighinger
Quincy Herald-Whig
The Sammy Fund will benefit from a Mother’s Day weekend fashion show sponsored by Ally & Co. on Saturday at Washington Park.
This is Ally & Co.’s third major fundraiser fashion show in the last two years that targets assistance for a local non-profit organization. Its most recent effort was last fall when a sold-out show at the Ambience raised $10,000 for breast cancer research.
“We’re looking to raise $6,000 for the Sammy Fund, said store owner Allison Readdy, who said the figure would be higher but the Washington Park venue will offer about 100 fewer seats than the Ambience event.
Ally & Co. is at 515 Maine. Reservations can be made by calling (217) 223-2600. Invitations have been sent, but the event is open to the public. Tickets are $35 for the event, which starts at 11 a.m. and features lunch from the Park Bench or Brix.
The Sammy Fund is coordinated by friends and family of Samantha Otte, who was 10 when she died nearly seven years ago after a liver transplant necessitated by cystic fibrosis. Each year the Sammy Fund awards grants to youth-oriented organizations.
To date, 73 grants totaling $96,785 have been distributed from the fund since it was established with the Community Foundation of the Quincy Area in late 2000.
Samantha’s parents, Chuck and June Otte, oversee a 20-person committee and more than 100 volunteers who work to make the Sammy Fund a success.
“When I researched information about the Sammy Fund and found what it does, this Mother’s Day show seemed like a natural,” Readdy said. “We’re happy to be able to help the Sammy Fund.”
The fashion show will feature a runway under a tent.
“This will be a true fashion show,” Readdy said. “We actually have a runway, and there is nothing else like it in Quincy.”
The fashion show will go on, rain or shine, Readdy said. Those in attendance will be protected by a 40-foot-by-60-foot tent. The show will be in the southwest quadrant of the park.
:”We don’t make any money on the fashion show, but women will see the clothes and will want to come in and buy them,” she said. “It benefits the charity, and in the end, we all win. We have a very loyal customer base for this type of thing.”
The event is also sponsored by Kristopher’s and Tranquility Med Spa.