Leadership Tigard Class of 2019 Hosts Chelsea’s Closet Fundraiser for Service Project
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
April 18, 2019
Lauren Scott
Leadership Tigard Class of 2019
503-718-2595
laurens@tigard-or.gov
Tigard, Ore. – Tigard Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tigard’s program goal is to inspire rising leaders to participate in the life of their community through education and experience in a broad range of activities. This year’s Leadership Class, made up of local entrepreneurs, downtown business owners, government employees and residents, has chosen the Chelsea Hicks Foundation as their service project.
What: Chelsea’s
Closet Fundraiser
Where: Beach Hut Deli (12436 SW Main
St. Tigard, OR 97223)
When: 5-9pm
About: Serving up food and beverages
with 20% of the proceeds from sales, and 100% of all backyard beers, raffle prizes and sponsorship dollars benefiting
Chelsea’s Closet programs. The event will also feature raffle prizes (tickets
for purchase) including a weekend trip to Palm Springs, bespoke eyewear
designed by downtown business and Leadership Tigard participant EDA Frames
(Frameabl), restaurant gift cards, and more.
Tigard-based Chelsea’s Closet works to transform lives of children and families facing illness by including therapeutic dress-up and play with their hospital experience.
“After learning about the work Chelsea’s Closet was doing and hearing Allison’s story about her own daughter’s illness,” said Kris Barrett, Fairway Independent Mortgage Loan Officer and 2019 Leadership Tigard class member, “it became clear that this was a cause we wanted to support.”
After spending volunteer hours at the costume storage warehouse at Chelsea’s Closet, this year’s class decided to host a fundraiser in order to fund a needed computerized barcode inventory system. Making it easier for staff and volunteers to find specific costumes and accessories requested by hospitalized children.
“It was important to our Leadership Tigard Class that we not just volunteer for a day, but that we were able to make a lasting impact on this organization.” – Taylor Sarman, Chief of Staff for State Rep. Margaret Doherty and 2019 Leadership Tigard Class member.
Tigard-based Chelsea’s Closet works to transform lives of children and families facing illness by including therapeutic dress-up and play with their hospital experience. They do this by offering children and their siblings the chance to select a costume and accessories from its mobile costume closet at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. Research shows that active therapeutic play can promote normal development and significantly reduce the psychological and physiological stress for children facing serious medical challenges.
“Because of my own daughter’s illness, I know first-hand the horrors of watching a child go through numerous rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery only to see it dampen their spirits and change their body,” says Alison Hicks, Chelsea’s Closet Co-Founder and CEO. “Remembering that they are children before they are patients, Chelsea’s Closet empowers them to be anything they want to be – transforming them with costumes, play, and imagination into the Superhero or Princess to combat their disease.”
The Leadership Tigard Class of 2019 hopes that others will come out and support this cause at their fundraiser on Friday, April 26th from 5-9pm at Beach Hut Deli.
About Leadership Tigard
Leadership Tigard is a program of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce and educates rising leaders on the issues impacting business and their community and on the resources in the community, allowing one to become part of solutions as a more informed and engaged citizen. When you invest in Leadership Tigard you invest in the community and our future.
Chelsea’s Closet
Media Contact: Alison Hicks alison@chelseahicksfoundation.org
503-941-5229 www.chelseahicksfoundation.org