Fundraising fashion show organized to help local homeless centre

Art Attack Windsor and Bras by Jillish have coordinated with a fashion show to support a local homeless centre.

The event called WERK or Bras For a Cause will be in full swing Friday Nov. 8, at the Water’s Edge Event Center from 7-10 p.m. Jill Thompson owner of Bras by Jillish and the event organizer said the proceeds will go to help Street Help.

It is a fashion show for artists and designers to show off their work and raise money. The event will include attractions such as vendors, music artists and more.

“I do non-profit fashion shows at events all over Windsor for various charities. It takes about three to four months to organize and I hope to raise as much money as possible,” said Thompson. “But my main goal is to raise awareness.”

Thompson first got the idea to organize the fashion show after seeing the condition of Street Help when she helped work on a mural on the building.

Among many of the services Street Help offers is providing food and clothing. The goal of WERK is to raise enough money to fix Street Help upstairs and build a space to provide overnight shelter for people in need.

Christine Furlonger is the director of Street Help and often a voice for the homeless.

“I started Street Help so no other person would go through what I have. Unfortunately, many people freeze to death in the winter time as the shelters are extremely strict about who they let in,” said Furlonger. 

“When I started Street Help the shelters even went as far as to threaten to shut us down for stealing their funding. With this money we hope to renovate the upstairs, so people have a place to go and don’t have to freeze in their car.”

As the winter hits, the city’s most vulnerable will need to get off the street. Furlonger’s hopes are high the event will be a success.