03/11/10 - StyleWorks, ArtWorks hailed as a success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 11, 2010
Contact: Deborah Luehrs
deborah.luehrs@siskin.org
423.648.1708, office

Fashion helps charity at annual fundraising event

View photos from ArtWorks - View photos from StyleWorks

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Paris has Fashion Week, and Chattanooga has StyleWorks, but there is one big difference: Chattanooga’s event helps children with special needs.

On Thursday, approximately 900 turned out to get up-close views of the latest spring and summer trends while also raising money for Siskin Children's Institute, a leader in serving children with special needs and their families.

The daylong event featured several highlights, including:

• a testimonial video highlighting parents and employees discussing the impact of Institute programs and services;
• the latest summer fashions available at Belk; and
• recent graduates of the Siskin Early Learning Center-Downtown modeling the latest trends in kids’ clothing.

Several hundred attended ArtWorks, the preview party held the day before. Proceeds from the events benefit children with special needs and their families who are served by the Institute.

This is the 34^th year for StyleWorks and the second year for ArtWorks. The event is sponsored by Chattem and fashions are provided by Belk. Betty Lebovitz and Fern Shire chaired the StyleWorks event.  Meredith Ensign chaired ArtWorks.

“Support like this helps us to continue all that we do for our kids,” said Jerry Jensen, president of the Institute. “The children will benefit from these two great events, and they are the reason we do this.”

More than 150 pieces of original art were up for bid during the ArtWorks silent auction. The Marketplace, which featured more than 25 local retailers and service providers, also was open to participants.

Both ArtWorks and StyleWorks centered on the “New Institute” theme, which celebrates Siskin Children's Institute’s expansion into the areas of research and health care.

In 2008, the Institute expanded its research area. It now has three doctoral-level researchers. The Siskin Children’s Institute-T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital Center for Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics opened in 2009.

About Siskin Children’s Institute

Siskin Children's Institute makes life better for children with special needs and their families. Founded in 1950, the non-profit organization achieves its mission locally and nationally through four initiatives: education, outreach, health care and research. The Institute provides early childhood education where children with and without disabilities learn together; family support and professional development programs; developmental behavioral pediatric health care; and innovative research in early childhood development and special education. For more information about Siskin Children's Institute, visit www.siskin.org.

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