goodwill gala and fashion show

this past weekend, will and i had the pleasure of attending 

goodwill's annual gala and fashion show!

i cannot even begin to tell you how much fun we had - 

it was definitely a night to remember.

the theme for the night? 'in the city.'

the event was held at elliott hall (at bell harbor) - the

view was gorgeous as we were walking to the event, 

but unfortunately, the sun set as we arrived,

 and it gets dark very quickly around here.

^^^ that shimmer? re-purposed cd's! ^^^

the gala is goodwill's only fundraising event.

all of the proceeds support seattle goodwill's 

free job training and education programs; the focus this year is 

on their youth programs!

at the beginning of the event (after the cocktail hour and silent auction), 

we learned more about the job training and education programs. 

i have to tell you, i had goose bumps throughout the presentation. 

goodwill is amazing! the way in which they directly help people

in our community - it's simply incredible! 

at dinner and during the fashion show, 

will and i sat next to a goodwill student. he is working

to complete his education and plans to find a job in his 

field upon graduating. he was very honest 

when communicating with us, and it was inspiring!

the live auction took place before dinner, followed by the fashion shows!

the photos in this post, taken by joshua lewis of seattle refined, 

are looks created by design students throughout the community. 

the designers had 45 minutes at the goodwill outlet to grab

whatever clothing and materials they could carry. 

the designers had to create a look, using these materials, 

that depicted their interpretation of 'in the city.'

as you can see, there was much variety (and creativity!!). 

the audience was able to choose our favorite look

from each group - it was a lot of fun!

after the design students showcased their creations, 

out came the formal-wear, a prelude to goodwill's annual glitter sale.

the glitter sale will take place this coming weekend, november 14th and 15th,

at the dearborn location. you can read more about the glitter sale here.

i have not yet been, but am looking forward 

to attending the sale this weekend - i would like to apologize to my 

bank account in advance..

this year, the gala and fashion show raised $425,000!!!

they exceeded their goal by 10 percent! 

last year, goodwill's job training and education programs assisted 

8,700 individuals, and with the money raised, 

they hope to help even more in the coming year!

i feel blessed to be connected to a truly amazing organization - goodwill;

i cannot say enough positive things about them!

happy shopping at the glitter sale, everyone!

xoxo. 

**all photos in this post were taken by joshua lewis.

as always, all opinions are my own!