Newsroom

Nearly 600 people attend Flashes of Hope fundraiser

October 10, 2006

Cleveland's corporate movers and shakers walked the runway last night at Flashes of Hope's annual fundraiser - "Swing into Style: Big Shots, Little Stars" raising more than $125,000.

Flashes of Hope is a national Cleveland-based non-profit organization that creates uplifting portraits of children fighting cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

Nearly 600 people attended the event â€" which took place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Eton Chagrin, in Woodmere -- and featured regional industry leaders as the Big Shots and Flashes’ cancer survivors as the Little Stars. Professional models from the Docherty Agency also walked the runway. The “Big Shotsâ€� included:

Michael Belkin, ClearChannel, Belkin Productions co-founder
Frank Bird, Cleveland Magazine Publisher
Neil Kruschke, Jr., Stopol, Inc. CEO
Brock Milstein, Northfield Park Chairman and CEO
Mark Shapiro, Cleveland Indians General Manager
Walter Schwartz, Merrill Lynch
Fred Nance, Squire, Sanders and Dempsey Partner
Randy Goodman, Goodman Real Estate Services Founder and Principal
Jeff Kelly, National City Bank Vice Chairman and CFO
Dr. Fred Rothstein, University Hospitals of Cleveland President and CEO
Michael Siegal, Olympic Steel Chairman
Margie Flynn, Brown Flynn Principal and Co-Owner
After the reception and cocktail hour held in the mall, the evening got off to a dynamic start with a 5-minute performance by Judson Laipply, creator of the “Evolution of Danceâ€� â€" a stand-up comedy routine that is one of the most popular and emailed video clips on the Internet. His routine was followed by the fashion show.

Emcee and auctioneer Scott Mihalic kept the evening moving and successfully engaged the audience during the live auction that followed the fashion show. Some of the prizes auctioned off included:

$1,000 shopping spree at Nabici with your personal stylist, Browns running back Reuben Droughns;
A bowling excursion with Browns receiver Braylon Edwards;
The opportunity to serve as a guest model for Currents magazine with coaching from Karen Fields, former director of Ford Modeling Agency; and
An extreme makeover from the Plain Dealer stylist that includes a hair styling, make up and gift certificates from Eton merchants to buy clothes for your new look.
“I am completely blown away with the results of this year’s fundraiser,� said Flashes Founder and CEO Allison Clarke. “In our best-case scenario, we were hoping to net between $80,000 and $100,000. But to exceed that by more than 25% is incredible and a true testament to the benevolent spirit of our volunteers and those that attended.�

Last year’s fundraiser, which was attended by more than 350 people, generated about $60,000 and included a runway show featuring professional models and wives of Cleveland Indians players.

For information on how you can contribute to Flashes of Hope, please call (216) 514-7005.