Fashion show a hit in Sisters

The spirit of giving back, great outfits, and the ever supportive Sisters community came together Sunday afternoon for a treat in Sisters Country: a fashion show. The event, organized by Sisters High School senior Emily Rickards, brought 170 visitors to fill the house at the FivePine Conference Center.

Rickards organized the event to raise funds for and give back to The Center Foundation's Junior Scholarship program. A recipient of the scholarship in 2009, Rickards wants to "give back what I had gotten, and to give students in Sisters a better opportunity to receive scholarships from the program."

With 20 models of all ages strutting their stuff to raise money for the cause, Rickards considers the event to be "a bigger success than imagined." But Rickards is emphatic that the event could not have gotten off the ground without the tremendous support of all involved. Clothing stores in both Sisters and Bend allowed for the use of their garments, and title sponsor South Valley Bank & Trust provided $500 to help defray overhead costs and fill the coffers for the scholarship.

The Center Executive Director Carol Stiles spoke at the event and expressed her gratitude for Rickards' hard work and desire to give back.

"Emily is just the kind of person that people need to support in this community, and we are proud to have done just that with our scholarship. To see her giving back is phenomenal," Stiles said.

By evening's end, ticket sales, raffles, silent auction items and myriad donations garnered enough funds for two $1,500 Center Foundation scholarships which will be awarded to worthy students next year.