UNLV students raise money, awareness for AIDS

Cydney Cappello

A UNLV model takes the catwalk in a dress donated by Jessica McClintock Monday night at UNLV’s third annual Fashion with Passion.

By Cydney Cappello

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 | 12:27 p.m.

Third annual Fashion with Passion

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Twenty models, 250 students and several volunteers filled UNLV’s student union ballroom Monday night for the third annual Fashion with Passion for AIDS awareness, held in conjunction with World AIDS Day.

The fashion show was organized by UNLV’s Residence Hall Association with clothes donated by area retailers, like Sisley, French Connection, Buffalo Exchange and Jessica McClintock. While the outfits had to be returned, the organization raised $500 through an auction of donated gift baskets and tickets with all proceeds going to the Sin Sity Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an organization that helps the local HIV/AIDS community.

“Last year went to AFAN, which is the Aid for AIDS in Nevada, and they’re a bigger charity, so this year we decided to go with a little smaller one, where the money would actually make a larger impact,” Fashion with Passion co-chair and UNLV sophomore Katie Johnstone said.

Johnstone and fellow co-chair junior Allison Terranova are on the Residence Hall Association’s executive board and had planned the event since October, organizing with stores for donations and working with UNLV’s World AIDS Day Committee. Terranova said organizers have devoted between 20 and 30 hours a week since last month.

“Back in early October we started first contacting stores, asking if they would be interested in donating and probably a couple weeks after that setting up fitting times for models to come in, recruiting models and getting auction items,” Johnstone said.

One of the models, UNLV junior Patricia Gatlin, has participated in the fashion show since the beginning because the effects of HIV have hit close to home.

“I do this every year because my mom has HIV,” Gatlin said. “It’s very important for me to participate in everything as far as AIDS awareness goes because it shows my mom a lot of respect.”

Gatlin said she is trying to break the stereotypes and social stigmas that still exist with the illness.

“People have the wrong perception of it,” she said. “It’s nice to tell people, ‘no, it’s not what you think it is.’ I kiss my mom, I hug my mom, I can even eat from the same plate as my mom … it just shows people that I’m just a normal person like everybody else whose parent just has a disease that she’s trying to deal with.”

Johnstone said for the past two years the fashion show has marked the end of a week of events tied to World AIDS Day, but because of scheduling conflicts it was moved to Monday.

“I definitely think more people came out ... there are more people on campus on Mondays," Johnstone said.