HILLSBOROUGH: Viva Vegas for grad fundraising

By Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
   There won’t be any gambling at Project Graduation’s “Roll Out and Celebrate” Fashion Show, but the organizers have showgirls opening the Las Vegas-themed fundraiser on March 21.
   ”We have a group from the Premier Dance Studio coming in, and they’re going to do a dance number to ‘Viva Las Vegas,’” Robin Aiello, event co-chairwoman, said. “We came up with Las Vegas nights being glitzy and glamorous.”
   But despite the king and queen of hearts archway models will walk through, the lighted dice decorations, and stars on the curtains, the approximately 70 high school students are the center of attention.
   ”The decorations are really going to be the kids with their clothing,” Ms. Aiello said. “They’re the stars of the show.”
   Local retailers, including Cache, A Beautiful Bride, Annie Sez, KiKi D’s, Sal’s Tuxedos, and Dante’s Tuxedos, loaned the clothing students will model at the show, Ms. Aiello said. Several elementary school students will model kids fashions from Gymboree, too.
   Proceeds from the show will benefit Project Graduation, an all-night drug-and-alcohol-free celebration for Hillsborough High School’s graduating class. The event, to be held at Dave and Buster’s in Franklin Mills, Pa., immediately after graduation June 23, is funded entirely by donations and activities organized by the graduating class and a volunteer committee. In addition to Ms. Aiello, co-chairwoman Shelley Pavon organizes the Fashion Show.
   Prior activities included a New Year’s Day 5K Resolution Run, an art auction, a dress-and-evening wear sale, and a dance held at Auten Road School last weekend.
   Organizers noted that, since many retailers and families face an increasingly bleak economy, fundraising for the event is presenting a greater challenge this year.
   ”It’s a very expensive night; we need a lot of funds raised,” Ms. Aiello said. “The economy being what it is, we’re not getting as many donations from parents and businesses.”
   The Project Graduation Committee hopes to host several more events before school ends in June, Ms. Aiello said. In addition, Annie Sez, in Raritan, will host a shop-a-thon fundraiser, where it will donate 15 percent of its proceeds on March 28 to Project Graduation.
   Adult tickets to the fashion show cost $12, while students and seniors pay $8. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling 908-872-9863 or 908-256-6877, though tickets will be available at the door also.