‘Breathe Fashion’ fundraiser benefited lung disease victims

The American Lung Association of Nevada held its fifth annual fashion show and dinner recently at the World Market Center. The event, titled “Breathe Fashion,” raised funds for people with lung-related illnesses.

The organization provides education and support to Nevadans with lung diseases such as asthma, COPD and lung cancer. This year’s event was in partnership with the store Eccoci, a European-inspired clothing retailer in Boca Park.

The cocktail reception and silent auction took place on the ground floor’s large rotunda room where guests including Sharry and Tim Quillin, Marilyn Gubler, Tommy Di Giacomo, William R. Maranon, Shelley Smith, Jacque Walton, Bill Pfeifer, and April and Paul Stewart, participated in the auction’s bidding and purchased raffle tickets.

At the appointed hour, elevators whisked everyone up to the building’s 16th floor for the formal dinner prepared and served by Jeremy Jordan, Adam Pusateri and Alex Barnett, representing Cut and Taste, the World Market’s caterer.

Master of ceremonies and the event’s auctioneer was KLUC-FM 98.5 radio personality Chet Buchanan.

Lung Association Executive Director Kristina Crawford and Board Chairman Linn Billingsley thanked corporate sponsors BMW of Las Vegas, BMW of Henderson, St. Rose Dignity Health, Kindred Healthcare, Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada and KLUC, among others, for their support.

The fashion show featured beautiful male and female styles imported from Italy by Eccoci.

An exciting live auction took place for nine packages. The highest bid of $9,000 was for a seven-night yacht cruise for two on the Mediterranean by SeaDream.

Among the unusual packages up for bid was dinner for 10 at Linn Billingsley’s hacienda in Blue Diamond featuring a seven-course dinner with wine pairings that sold for $4,000.

A week’s stay in a cabin that sleeps eight in Duck Creek Meadow, Utah, sold twice for $1,500 each.

Forty bottles of selected wines and wine chiller went for $1,600. A VIP tour of the Alpha Omega Vineyard in Napa Valley, Calif., for eight people brought in $2,000.

Deb Sgambati spoke about the American Lung Association’s mission and history.

Larry Staples talked about the organization’s smoking cessation programs.

Among the 300 supporters were Annette Kinsman, Cindy Pino, Bob Potter, Melanie and Mark Devries, Nelson Cumana, Monika Gold, Lindsey Kay, Allison Newton-Moser, Carol Kirshan, Carole Kennedy, Julia Gilmour, Kendall Germain, Karlee Skalla, Tesvetelin Paraskevov, Mary Jo Solon, Jo Solon, Mike Brack, Linda Johnson, and Beverly and Richard Dix.