Commission follows through with annual Benefit Fashion Show, despite hindrances

After dealing with numerous setbacks and a near cancellation of the event, a few students and Spanish teacher Rebeca Marshburn took up the challenge and started plans for the annual Benefit Fashion Show. It will take place on March 29 with the main theme Wish Upon a Star, and all proceeds will be donated to the Make a Wish Foundation.

In the past, preparation for the show began over the summer, allowing commissioners a full seven months to plan and organize. This year, however, the previous adviser stepped down, and it wasn’t until late January that Marshburn took over, leaving commissions a mere two months to plan the show.

At the first meeting, many students were upset because it was decided that the show wouldn’t take place. The Benefit commission originally planned to just hold a Benefit Casino due to the time shortage, but senior Catherine Liu decided not to abandon the fashion show just yet.

“I talked to [Marshburn] and told her that [the show] is a tradition that’s been here for years, and we shouldn’t give up on it just because we have limited time. We should have faith that we can make it happen,” Liu said.

Besides Liu, the commission consists of seniors Ingrid Hong, Julia Lee and Abigail Small. This year’s runway themes are Prom, Sports Spirits, First Date, Boho Chic, Girls’ Night Out, Bollywood, Future, Disney Fantasy, Into the Wild and a new teacher section Back in Time.

Besides the short time frame for planning, the commissioners are also working with a smaller budget due to insufficient time to find more sponsors, technical issues and the plethora of legal documents they must sign to collaborate with the Make a Wish Foundation. 

Marshburn has experience with fundraising for various organizations at her previous schools.

“I’m used to raising money for different things and as a new member of the Falcon family, I wanted to help the students,” Marshburn said. “When I found out that there was no adviser for Benefit I thought, ‘Why not? I’m going to help them out.’”

Despite the several obstacles, there are many new additions to this year’s show to look forward to.

“Benefit is really about connecting the entire school, so I created the new teacher section this year so that teachers can enjoy the fun with us,” Liu said. “Also, the fashion club is having their own Future theme and some of the pieces will be handmade by them.”

With the show coming up in two months, the commissioners are motivated to keep the tradition alive and conduct a successful show this year.

“It’s all about bringing people together and giving back to the community. Even though things now are stressful, I’m really looking forward to making this show perfect,” Liu said.