Hats and Pearls Mother-Daughter Fashion Show
By Sarah Williams, Berta McCallum, & Terry Bellamy –
On May 19, 2018 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Gamma Gamma Omega Chapter, hosted its “Hats and Pearls: Mother-Daughter Fashion Show and Silent Auction,” billed as “Lunch with a Purpose.”
The Master of Ceremonies was Justin Hinton, weekend morning anchor and reporter for WLOS-TV 13. He is a 2016 winner of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences Southeast Emmy Award for Live News Reporting. Comedienne Kathy Bailey also entertained the audience to great acclaim.
The fashion show included both casual and dressy attire, with mothers and daughters modeling apparel provided by Belk Department Store. Models for the fashion show were Marshay and Jada Proctor-Bates, Terry and Imani Bellamy, Aprille and Smith Forrest, Belinda and Kontia Grant, Pamela and Courtney Jones, Zakiya and Sullivan Bell-Rogers, Pamela and Jasmine Washington, Verita and Keonia Woods, Jailynn Ellison and Amillianna Whiteside, and Rita Lee and Taeya Pickens. The hat and stroll models were Marshay Proctor-Bates, Jalen Craig, Sheron Craig, Belinda K. Grant, and Verita Woods.
Chapter president Terry Bellamy provided both opening and closing remarks for the special event, and Emcee Justin Hinton was introduced by member Mary Harmon. The Fashion Show and Silent Auction is a fundraising event in support of AKA’s scholarship program, which helps worthy high school seniors offset college expenses. As explained by Zakiya Bell-Rogers, the audience’s purchase of tickets and silent auction items help finance students’ educational pursuits.
The silent auction afforded opportunities to purchase many unique items made by talented Asheville-area artists. Fundraising committee members Marion Thompson and Raynetta C. Waters conducted the auction, as well as recognizing sponsors Belk, Mission Health System, and Wells Fargo Bank.
About the AKA Gamma Gamma Omega Chapter
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s Gamma Gamma Omega Chapter was chartered on March 31, 1940 in Asheville, NC. The Chapter provides educational and enrichment services to students through the ASCEND program, a national program developed by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Additionally, the sorority’s Chapter members volunteer and/or donate funds to other organizations, including the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI), Alzheimer’s Association, Asheville Buncombe Institute for Parity Achievement (ABIPA), Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s Residents’ Council, Manna Food Bank, St. James AME Church, City of Asheville’s Parks and Recreation Department, and Hill Street Baptist Church. The Chapter has also awarded over $29,000 in college scholarships to graduates of local high schools.
