Jacksonville Fire Fighters Show Off Latest Fashion for Charity

October 26, 2010 – Jacksonville, FL Local 122 fire fighters traded their turnout gear for the latest fashions at their eighth annual charity fashion show. The proceeds – about $1,000 –benefit Wreaths Across America and Ms. Wheelchair Florida 2010, Shannon Horne.

The event is held in conjuction with the Southern Women’s Show, a four-day trade show designed with women’s interests in mind.

“About 30,000 people come out over the course of the four days,” says Local 122 Public Relations Director Mark Treglio. “It’s a great opportunity not only to do something nice for charity, but also to spread the word about what we do for the community on a daily basis.”

The fashion show was held on two nights with fire fighers wearing clothes from a local department store during the first half of the show and their own turnout gear in the second half of the show.

“Southern Women’s Show organizers tell us that the fashion show boosts event attendance by 20 percent,” says Treglio.

Wreaths Across America works to raise money and place wreaths on the graves of America’s military veterans.

Ms. Wheelchair Florida 2010 Shannon Horne was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of two. Today, she’s a mother of two who works to inspire others with disabilities through her own radio talk show, mentoring high school students with varying disabilities and acts as an ambassador for the Life Rolls On Foundation, a subsidiary of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury.