Girls play dress up in benefit for ailing children
Every girl likes to play dress up. This weekend, about 150 local girls are doing just that to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey. More than 2,000 people attended the 11th annual American Girl Doll Fashion Show at the Tavistock Country Club, making this the most popular fundraising event for the nonprofit. “All little girls know and love the dolls and the stories,” said Teddy Thomas, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House.
The organization hosted six sold-out fashion shows, each with about 30 models dressed like the doll they carried. Last year, the event raised more than $50,000 for the Camden nonprofit, which offers programs to assist the families of sick and injured children. “This was our special day out,” said Nadine Costantino of Haddonfield, who brought her 5-year-old daughter, Julia, to the event.
“She loves the dolls so we just thought it was a nice thing to do.” With names like Felicity and Josephine, each of the wildly popular American Girl dolls represents a different time in history. They feature accompanying books and accessories sold only through catalogs and two stores in New York City and Chicago. Brooke Greenberg of Cherry Hill was a model at the event for the third consecutive year.
The 8-year-old wore an orange horseback riding dress just like the Josephine doll, which according to the accompanying storybook, lived in 1824. “I love it because I love learning about history,” said Brooke, who has six American Girl dolls of her own. “I just love raising money for charity.” The event also featured door prizes, raffles, artwork for sale and even a doll hair salon. Marybeth Dubois of Millville brought her niece, Natalie Corson. “She’s loving it.