The Banana Republic Summer Charity Fashion Show is an annual event that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event was held at the Renaissance Hotel at North Hills on Sunday, May 16. Kendra Leonard, manager at Banana Republic and local philanthropist, hosted the fashion show this year as part of her 2010 campaign for the Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year award.
In addition to the fashion show—in which Banana Republic’s spring/summer line was displayed—guests could indulge in wine tasting as well as a silent auction to raise money for the cause. Leonard was able to raise $20,000 on Sunday with the help of thoughtful, generous contributors and Gap Inc, who matched every dollar raised.
Before she got started with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Leonard worked with Habitat for Humanity and her husband, Miguel Carias, to help build houses for underprivileged families.
It was not until Leonard lost her husband unexpectedly to cancer that Leonard shifted her philanthropic pursuits in a more focused direction.
“My husband was diagnosed with a form of leukemia with a 90% rate of survival. He just happened to be in that 10%,” Leonard said on Sunday at the show’s conclusion. “We’re hoping to close that gap here tonight.”
