Arts & Entertainment
Betsey Johnson Fashion Show Supports Local Center
Johnson presented her prêt-à-porter collection Saturday at the Cyclorama to help raise money for the South End Community Health Center's Breast Cancer Prevention Program.
Fashion designer Betsey Johnson lit up 's stage Saturday in the name of breast cancer awareness.
After a year of planning, Johnson's show took the stage and helped raise $160,000 for the 's Breast Cancer Prevention Program, which is aimed at helping women in the South End fight against breast cancer.
The money raised thus far will go toward hiring patient navigators who will be responsible for maintaining patients' healthcare procedures and compliance records, according to the center's CEO, Bob Johnson, who is Betsey's brother.
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“We want to take the funds and not only do this for our own patients but to do this for the entire South End community,” he said.
With the money raised, the center is hoping to increase their compliance rate for women 40 to 64 years of age who regularly receive mammograms from 67 to 90 percent.
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Serving as a primarily bilingual facility, the center’s outreach will be geared toward recent immigrants as well as women within the Latino and African-American populations in the community.
“It’ll be a two year program and will hopefully be an ongoing plan once [the center] gets [it] instituted,” Johnson said.
Supporters and family and friends of the Johnsons were in attendance to see the prêt-à-porter collection. The center also provided fashion students around Boston with tickets to the show.
Many members of the center's staff who came out in support of the fundraiser showed great excitement for the event.
“I think it’s an opportunity to bring more awareness to the issue and clearly Betsey being a survivor and someone that people know heightens the awareness for the community,” said Kevin Cherry, treasurer of the center's board.
In reaction to Betsey Johnson’s immense contribution to breast cancer awareness in the city of Boston, Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared Oct. 15 Betsey Johnson Day in a letter to her.
Fundraising will continue throughout October. Raffle tickets are being sold for $50 for a chance to win a 2012 Fiat 500 that was donated to the center by Kelly Automotive Group.