Second Annual “Dressing Well — An Evening to Benefit MS”
Presented by Filene's and Platinum Magazine
When: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 — 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: The Westin Hotel, 70 Third Avenue, Waltham, Massachusetts
Ticket Price: $75/person — $750 for a table of ten
Event Background: Fashion and fundraising have long gone hand in hand. Dressing Well — An Evening to Benefit MS — was created last year to bring a new generation of National MS Society supporters together in the Boston area. The sold-out, first-time event attracted 400 women and raised $45,000, exceeding the committee’s fundraising goal by over $10,000.
Program Highlights: This year’s event will be hosted once again by former Boston news anchor Suzanne Bates and nationally recognized fashion consultant and event co-chair Mary Lou Andre, President of Organization By Design, Inc. Mary Lou will share her firm’s 5-step process for pulling together a personal and professional image with style and confidence. Local celebrities representing Boston’s broadcast media outlets along with professional models from the city’s top modeling agencies will showcase Mary Lou’s “Dressing Well” message in a spectacular runway fashion show compliments of Filene’s — New England’s oldest and largest department store.
The evening will include a “Living with MS” video created and produced by Suzanne and Karen Van Houten-Barber. Karen, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 29, shared her very personal journey of living with this debilitating disease at last year’s event. This year’s video will bring the stories of three more New England women who have been diagnosed with MS to the attention of an audience gathered to learn more about this disease and how they can help to end it’s devastating effects on it’s victims.
Target Audience: 78% of all people affected by Multiple Sclerosis are women. Most are diagnosed in the prime of their lives — between the ages of 20 and 40. A primary goal of this event is to reach out to active businesswomen and community leaders in the 35 to 50 year-old age range to educate and motivate them to make MS one of the charities they support on an on-going basis. We are expecting between 500-600 attendees, a 38% increase over last year’s guest list.
Sponsorship Opportunities: This event offers a high-impact and cost-effective avenue to reach this educated and affluent group of professionals. It also provides client and employee entertainment and networking opportunities as well as a way to involve your company in a sophisticated cause-marketing campaign. All sponsorship packages are customized to help reach your particular marketing and advertising goals.
How the Money is Used: Your support of this event will help fund Central New England Chapter programs and critical research to find the cause and cure of MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is the only national, voluntary MS organization that meets the standards of ALL major agencies that rate nonprofit groups.