The Junior League of Central Westchester‘s (JLCW) participation in Simon Fashion Now® at The Westchester brought great community exposure to the JLCW’s initiatives as well as raised approximately $5,000 for its community initiatives, including Family Services of Westchester. As the exclusive non-profit organization of choice for the event, the money raised will help the JLCW in its mission to improve the local community through charity work. Presented locally by Greenwich Hospital and sponsored by Pepe Auto Group, Venture Studios, Tory Burch and LaserTouch Aesthetics, Simon Fashion Now® took place on October 5 and 6 and offered consumers insight into the latest cosmetic trends, must-have accessories and fashion flair available at The Westchester.

Simon Fashion Now showcased a variety of events presented by and benefiting the JLCW. During Trends and Friends Night, a $2,500 necklace donated by Tiffany & Co. was raffled off to help raise funds for the JLCW and an invitation-only after-show party at C Wonder donated a portion of sales to the JLCW. The awareness of the JLCW’s community involvement was greatly raised during the two-day event, helping to increase its exposure to the local population.

On Saturday, October 6, the JLCW hosted a Reading Corner, which became an oasis amid the hustle and bustle of the mall. Children were welcome to sit and discover a wide variety of books, while JLCW volunteers and Dr. Seuss characters were on hand to read stories. For a $5 donation, visitors had an opportunity to select a book of their choice, add their signature and donate it to Family Services of Westchester’s Head Start program in White Plains. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division generously donated 600 books to this very worthwhile cause. This donation included 300 copies of Let’s Play/Vamos A Jugar, a bilingual book, which will help serve the needs of bilingual families in the Head Start program. The Reading Corner promoted literacy, encouraging children to share their love of reading with those in need.

On Saturday afternoon, members of the JLCW participated as models for Simon Fashion Now’s Design Wars, in which students from SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) and Westchester Fashion Academy for Children (WFAC) competed for top runway honors by showcasing their creations made primarily with shopping bags from select retailers at The Westchester. The students, the youngest being only 10 years old, were given 50 bags and $25 each for materials and supplies. Designers were judged based on design creativity, use of materials, fit and workmanship, and overall look. Top honors went to WCC student Okki Kim and WFAC student Emma Rubinson, as modeled by JLCW members Mira Vojinovic and Vanessa Stoffels, respectively.

“Working with the young designers was a privilege, their creativity and enthusiasm was inspiring and the final creations were so impressive,” said Julie King, President-Elect of the JLCW. “The JLCW was thrilled to work with the Westchester Fashion Academy for Children and Westchester Community College and their designers, who I anticipate will have a very bright future in the fashion world.”

Neiman Marcus, an Emerald Sponsor of the JLCW, provided the styling, including makeup and accessories, from the newly branded contemporary department, CUSP, a shop-in-shop destination for the fashion-forward contemporary customer. “We are so happy to select the Junior League of Central Westchester as our exclusive beneficiary for all of the important work they do in the community of White Plains and surrounding areas,” commented Paula Kelliher, area director of marketing for The Westchester and The Galleria at White Plains. “Through Simon Fashion Now, we have the opportunity to use our luxurious venue to assist the fundraising goals of a worthy organization and are pleased to be working with the Junior League of Central Westchester.”

The Simon event was an exciting opportunity for the JLCW to reach out to members of the community regarding our many successful projects throughout our services areas of Eastchester, Greenburgh, Scarsdale and White Plains, including one of our long-time signature projects – addressing the issue of literacy,” said Lauren Wyler-Smith, President of the JLCW. “Mall patrons came out in full force on Saturday, purchasing books to donate to our Family Literacy Program and helping the JLCW outreach to the community. It was a truly inspiring event.”

“Simon Fashion Now was even more successful than we could have ever imagined when we were initially approached by Simon Property Group to be their non-profit partner,” said Helen Murphy, Fund Development Vice-President of the Junior League of Central Westchester. “It was a wonderful opportunity, and working with Paula was truly inspirational. She went above and beyond to make sure the League had maximum exposure. The event has been incredibly successful in so many ways and we are looking forward to working alongside Paula in the very near future.”

In addition to The Westchester, Simon Fashion Now will be featured at the following properties from coast-to-coast this fall:

o Roosevelt Field – Garden City, NY  October 12 & 13

o SouthPark – Charlotte, NC    October 19 & 20

For more information about Simon Fashion Now, visit www.simon.com or The Westchester’s Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/TheWestchester and follow The Westchester on Twitter:

@TheWestchester for the latest event updates.

About Simon Fashion NowÒ

The concept of Simon Fashion Now was conceived through grand opening events at properties like The Galleria in Houston, TX, The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas, NV and The Domain in Austin, TX. Through the success of these events, which became fashion focused in 2003, Simon decided to take the events national and Simon Fashion Now was introduced. The contemporary program was designed to make the runway relevant for the everyday fashionista. Spring 2012 stops included Lenox Square in Atlanta, GA; The Galleria in Houston, TX; King of Prussia in King of Prussia, PA; Burlington Mall in Burlington, MA and Fashion Valley in San Diego, CA.

About The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW)

The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Headquartered at historic Wayside Cottage, the JLCW has served the communities of Eastchester, Greenburgh, Scarsdale and White Plains for over 65 years. Our approximately 250 active and sustaining members are accomplished collaborators who identify community needs and develop effective and responsive programs to serve those needs. The JLCW invites women of all races, religions and national origins who are committed to volunteerism to become a member. (Additional Information at www.jlcentralwestchester.com)

For more information, please call 914.723.6130 or email jlcw@verizon.net.