Sheila Catherine is the owner of Highlights Salon in East Greenwich. She, and co-founders Dorothy White and Laurie Pichette, launched annual charity fashion show Pink Party in 2013 and has raised more than $30,000 in support of cancer charities since then. Originally targeting breast cancer victims and survivors, over the years the foundation was expanded to include families and individuals affected by all forms of cancer. The fourth annual Pink Party will be held on Oct. 13 at the Quonset ‘O’ Club in North Kingstown.
PBN: What is the catalyst for Pink Party and why did you choose a fashion show as your fundraiser platform?
CATHERINE: The catalyst for this event is, first and foremost, a collective desire to support the countless people who have been affected by cancer. Everyone involved with the fundraiser – from myself and the rest of the planning committee to our donors over the years – is fully committed to the cause.
I chose a fashion fundraiser after dreaming about it. I had a dream I produced a huge fashion show for an important cause and – in the dream – it was a hit. The next morning, one of my salon clients told me she was celebrating her 10th year in remission from breast cancer and was looking to put on a fundraiser. I told her about my dream, we partnered as co-planners and the Pink Party was born.
PBN: Models walking this year are all cancer survivors – is this a way to celebrate their achievements?
CATHERINE: Absolutely. This night is all about celebrating and empowering survivors and reminding them how beautiful they are at any stage of their battle. It’s also a tribute to those who lost their battle and a reminder that we will carry their torch.
PBN: Rhode Island Pink Heals – a local cancer charity run by firemen, police and other safety officials – is the beneficiary of this year’s event. Why did you choose this group?
CATHERINE: We wanted a charity that does the most for the most people, especially in our community. The bigger organizations are great, but we felt we could make more of a difference contributing to the Pink Heals. When we found out they are 100 percent volunteer, just like Pink Party, it was a no-brainer.
PBN: This is the fourth annual Pink Party RI fundraiser, what lessons have you learned about throwing fundraisers over the past three years you wish you knew prior to launching the first fundraiser?
CATHERINE: We’ve learned so much over the past few years and each year we become more successful. We’ve learned the importance of hosting a post-party meeting to discuss what went well and what we could do better. We have the meeting no more than two weeks after the event so the event is still fresh in our mind.
PBN: Moving forward, what are the goals for the Pink Party organization as it approaches five years of annual events?
CATHERINE: Our goal is to grow bigger every year. We’ve already outgrown the first two venues in which we hosted the fundraiser. The first Pink Party was on a Tuesday night at a venue with a 150-person capacity – we sold out. From there we started thinking what would happen if it were moved to a bigger venue and was held on a weekend night. Once those changes were made, we sold out at a 300-person-capacity venue.
Our main goal is to continue to grow and I believe we will, especially if we continue our partnership with the Pink Heals.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
