DC Power Moms Walk the Runway for a Cause hosted by Paul Wharton of CW TV & Sarah Fraser of DC's 107.3 Radio

WASHINGTON - April 17, 2015 - PRLog -- The 3rd “Runway Moms for a Cause” (RMFC) fundraiser celebration, created by L~Shandi designer Lara Akinsanya,will take place on May 8th at The Westin Crystal City.   Labeled a fashion statement for Global Goodwill, RMFC is a runway show for philanthropists to take a stance on issues that affect women and children in America and abroad while lending a helping hand towards a solution.

This year over 200 guests, that are representative of DC’s elite business leaders, dignitaries and global media, will have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction for the 2015 beneficiary's mission-related items.  Additionally, the event will feature a raffle of several donated items that will also benefit the 2015 participating charity - Tigerlily Foundation, a DC-based 501c3 organization with the mission to educate, empower, advocate for and provide hands-on support to young women between the ages of 15-40 – before, during and after breast cancer.

The evening's Power Mom runway show featured event will open with a special live band performance by Edy Blu, an emotive singer and poetic song-writer with a unique blend of folk, soul, hip-hop, and jazz. Participating Power Moms will be dressed in custom L~Shandi designs and a collaborating designer - Studio D'Maxsi.  The runway looks will be coupled with jewelry designs by Evelyn Brooks Designs.

Participants include event cohostsPaul Wharton of CW  Television and Fox 5 & Sarah Fraser of DC's 107.3 Morning Show with the following DC Power Moms (*breast cancer survivors):
 Lynda Erkiletian - The Artist Agency; Maureen Umeh - Journalist, Fox 5; Shawn Yancy – Journalist, Fox 5; Lesli Foster- Anchor, WUSA 9; Holly Bertone* – Pink Fortitude; Michelle Schoenfeld* – Renu Med Spa; Katherine K Allen – Availor Philanthropy; Monica Byrd – Baby Bash and Bling; Marianne Horinko* – The Horinko Group; Wendy Pittman – My Bougie Baby; Christine St. Vil – Moms’ N Charge; Emily Gonzaga – D’Milikah Collection; Kara Reade–Gomez – Best Face Forward; Angelica Talan – Clarendon Moms; Tameka Young – Professional Model; Julie Bullock: Pharmacologist; Christy Cottrell- Public Health Professional; Funmi Balogun –TFM Consulting; Awele Ahanonu – Philanthropist, Model; Kim Taylor – Philanthropist, Model; Maria José Ovalle- Very Busy Mama Blog; and Quianna Douglas- Public Health Professional


WHEN:          Friday, May 8, 2015

         7:00PM – 10:00PM

WHERE:          Westin Crystal City

         1800 Jefferson Davis Hwy,

         Arlington, VA

Thank you to all our supporters and sponsors for their generous donation to support Tigerlily Foundation. Please visit runwaymoms.org for a full list.

Tickets can be purchased at: www.RunwayMoms.org/tickets

The event is produced by Maggy Francois (www.maggyfrancois.com).

About Runway Moms for a Cause (www.runwaymoms.org)

Runway Moms for a Cause (RMFC) is a fashion initiative with the mission to serve as a vehicle to raise funds for non-profit organizations.  Each year, RMFC will profile and celebrate accomplishments of mothers who impact change in their communities. Lara Akinsanya is the founder of RMFC and the face behind internationally acclaimed ready-to-wear clothing brand L~Shandi Designs (http://www.lshandi.com/). Since her grand entrance to the global fashion scene, she has been featured on Fox, Washington Post Express, Lucky Magazine, Splash, and The Nigerian Guardian. An active member of the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce, she has participated on several panel discussions related to economic development through fashion programs in the greater Washington, DC area. As a philanthropic mother of twin kindergartners, volunteering is part of her life and she participates in various charity work from street cleanup, teaching, charity walks, and providing public health services such as assisting physicians during surgeries. It was only a matter of time before she felt compelled to use her successful fashion design platform to raise awareness on issues close to her heart.

About Tigerlily Foundation (www.TigerlilyFoundation.org) (http://www.kidsave.org/)

Tigerlily Foundation’s (http://www.tigerlilyfoundation.org/) (Tigerlily) mission is to educate, empower, advocate for and provide hands-on support to young women between the ages of 15-40 – before, during and after breast cancer.  Although women over 40 have higher incidences of breast cancer, younger women tend to have more aggressive breast cancers and higher mortality rates, therefore, are at a higher risk. They are a largely under-recognized demographic – lacking in targeted education and services.  Often, younger women and their practitioners are unaware that they get breast cancer, so Tigerlily focuses on education, prevention and support. Founded by Maimah Karmo (http://www.maimahkarmo.com/) while she was in chemotherapy treatment, after being diagnosed at 32 years old, as a single mother, the Foundation has grown to offer services and education to young women and families nation-wide.   Tigerlily Foundation now has more than 300 volunteers providing a variety of support.  Tigerlily is primarily volunteer-staffed, enabling us to direct most of their funds to programmatic support.