Exceptional Foundation

This year, Lindsey Fields, another senior at St. Mary’s, and I are co-hosting the Exceptional Foundation Fashion Show, one of the biggest fundraisers for the Foundation. If you don’t know what the Exceptional Foundation is, it is an organization that strives to enrich the lives of adults and children with disabilities by meeting their social, recreational, and continued educational needs. Th e Foundation serves participants of all ages with Autism, Down Syndrome, Developmental Delay, Cerebral Palsy, and many other disabilities.

The Exceptional Foundation has held a place in both of our hearts for the past few years. We have been able to volunteer there and get to know the participants at the Foundation. One
of my favorite memories was last year when our grade got to participate in a service day at the Exceptional Foundation. We played board games, ran around, and played Just Dance with them; it was so much fun. All that to say, after volunteering and helping out with the previous fashion shows, we have decided to continue the Exceptional Foundation Fashion Show as a way to not only fund raise, but to allow the participants of the organization to truly shine.

The Exceptional Foundation Fashion Show was inaugurated in August of 2015 with 21 special need participants who were the actual models for the show. In 2015, the fashion show raised over $25,000, allowing this exceptional organization to continue doing its impactful work. In 2016, the show raised $35,000.

The Exceptional Foundation is among the few non-profit organizations in Memphis receiving no government funding, and a majority of the participants require scholarships, so this fundraiser is so important to the Foundation.

The third-annual Exceptional Foundation Fashion Show will take place at Temple Israel on January 13th, 2019. Doors will open at 2, so please mark your calendars! This year, the theme is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and we would love for you to join us for such a great cause!

We cannot wait to see the success of this year’s fashion show. Our mission for the fashion show this year is to provide support for yearly tuition and events for these teens and adults, and we hope you will be able to help us achieve this goal!

If you would like to purchase tickets to the event, you may do so using this link: https://901tix.com/events/efwtn-fashion-show. You may also purchase tickets at the door.