It’s March. Springtime is just around the corner. Colorful new fashions abound as we pack away winter clothes and look for new spring and summer wear to shine in.
So…what better time to have a fashion show? And teddy bears. What do fashion shows and teddies have to do with each other? Plenty, if you’re in Palm Desert, California, in March.
For it’s the season when the World of Women (WOW) hold their annual Teddy Bear Fashion Show. This year members and guests gathered at the Indian Wells Resort and Spa Renaissance’s Crystal Ballroom on March 18th for a luncheon followed by the traditional fashion show. All courtesy of co-producers Evie Kreisler and Beverly Sheldon, best friends who have been working together on the fashion show from its beginning, plus a slew of WOW volunteers.
In keeping with the theme, teddy bears were everywhere—displayed on luncheon tables, sitting on a long table along one wall of the ballroom, even carried by the models walking down the runway—over 300 of them—a feast for the eyes for teddy bear lovers. Where did all these teddies come from? From the attendees who not only paid for their luncheon but also brought a teddy bear to donate…some bringing more than one. Only one problem. The donors became so attached to the teddies they brought that it was hard for them to give the bears up.
And it’s all for the kids—kids at the nearby Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms who have a deployed parent. These children often need that little extra love and comfort teddy bears are known for. The warm and cuddly teddies help the kids cope when a parents isn’t there, giving the kids something of their own to love and confide in.
WOW was started by a neighborhood group of women living on the same block in Palm Desert’s Sun City who wanted to help children. Now over 100 members strong, all residents of Sun City, WOW’s Teddy Bear Fashion Show was celebrating its 19th birthday at this year’s event. The group meets for lunch once a month from October through April in Sun City, but goes to Indian Wells in March for their Teddy Bear Fashion Show. They support other charities such as Toys for Tots and Barbara Sinatra’s Children’s Center but their big event is the annual fashion show starring none other than the lovable huggable teddy bear.
It was a festive occasion, with vendors in the lobby selling jewelry by Ronelle and handbags by Gloria, not to mention the grand surroundings and a delicious luncheon. Among the attendees were 10 women from the Marine Corps base, sponsored by the Indio Elks Lodge, there for some fun and a break. And they weren’t disappointed.
After lunch was over, the fun began. Member Jeanette Kleist was the first to be introduced. She brought to the stage with her the ever popular teddy bear in fatigues carrying an American flag with the voice of Lee Greenwood singing “I’m Proud To Be An American” coming from his stomach.
Four models, WOW members all, took turns walking the runway to music supplied by DJ Dynamic Dave and narrations by members Pam Hagemann and Sherry Thompson. Each model showed coordinated outfits representing three fashion stores – Serena’s, Daily Blue and Stein Mart – complete with jewelry and accessories. And all accompanied, of course, by the stars of the show—teddy bears.
After the luncheon was over, the bears were gathered up and taken to the Marine Corps base. There they were presented to the kids during a special family day the end of April/early May called “We Salute You” sponsored by the base’s American Friends of Armed Forces. It’s fun to see the kids faced with a delightful dilemma—hold their new teddy bear or their ice cream! A fun time will be had by all that day – a bright spot in what can be a difficult time when a family member is deployed.
And the bears who don’t find a forever home with a Marine Corps kid, as sometimes happens when there are more bears than kids? They don’t become orphans. Not at all. Instead, they’re given to the Barbara Sinatra’s Children’s Center to comfort the children there who are recovering from abusive situations.
No teddy bear is left behind by this organization! There are too many kids that need the magic teddies bring to children of all ages.
(photos courtesy of Joanne Hardy, The Desert Sun)