Organizers describe the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Catwalk event as “an afternoon of fashion, food and friends for a cure”—one that marks the official beginning of spring for the fashion crowd. This year guests gathered at the Loading Dock in Stamford to see J.McLaughlin’s newest looks come down the runway. The event, chaired by Anastasia Brien of Greenwich, CT, and Jen Fitzpatrick of Darien, is a fundraiser for JDRF to fund type 1 diabetes research.
“Family friends who were involved with JDRF reached out to us when they heard and told us you are about to meet the nicest people you wished you never had to meet,” says Fitzpatrick about how she was helped by, and became involved with, JDRF when her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 13 years ago. The 8th annual event was a smashing success due to a committee including Nancy Berger, Anne-Marie Queally, Astrid Weismann, Bridget Queally, Carol Anne Coughlin, Debbie Nelson, Jen D’Errico, Karen Hauben, Karen Schunk, Lisa and Rob Carpenter, Natalie Wiegenfeld, Sue Campion, Suzanne Turner and Taylor Kearns. The signature “IT Bag” raffle included designer handbags from Louis Vuitton, Prada, Balenciaga, Burberry, Chloe, Stuart Weitzman, Ralph Lauren, and more, and the Grand Prize included a fabulous $1,500 gift card to J.McLaughlin! Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour and luncheon, shopped the pop-up shop and left with goodie bags filled to the brim.
Catwalk thanks its generous supporters, who helped nearly $135,000 for critical type 1 diabetes research! Says Fitzpatrick:” Over the years, JDRF has given our family hope that one day diabetes will be cured. When I look back over just the past weight years that I have been co-chairing Catwalk, JDRF has made so many positive strides towards this dream.”
Photographs by Cheryl Moss
