OHio Valley Voices Shared the LOVE at Unique Live Fashion Show October 1

Fashion Show virtual event online this Thursday, October 8,

 By Chuck Gibson 

CINCINNATI, OH  (October 6, 2020) — The Ohio Valley Voices 5th Annual LOVVE Amplified Fashion Show was LIVE on October 1, 2020 at the David A. Millett Design Center and Showroom on Dana Avenue in Evanston.   The event also features an online viewing opportunity on October 8.  Both events are presented by Esther Price Fine Chocolates

The live event was an evening of fun, fashion, and refreshments featuring student designs from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) at The University of Cincinnati.  Ohio Valley Voices (OVV) students, parents, teachers, and some professionals modeled fashions from two local boutiques, Idlewild Woman and Castle House. Guests also enjoyed an opportunity to meet some of the DAAP student designers and OVV families during the evening while observing social distancing protocols throughout the live event.

At the virtual Fashion Show streaming on the OVV website on October 8, viewers can turn their living room into a front-row seat with highlights from the fashion show and uplifting entertainment.  At LIVE  online (www.ohiovalleyvoice.org), everyone will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for two fabulous Grand Prizes — $5,000 and the newest Peloton bike.  OVV is also hosting a silent auction with 50 items purchased, not donated, from small businesses in Greater Cincinnati who have supported OVV over the years.

Organizer Anne Neuville, OVV Development Coordinator, believes the online streaming event will be as memorable an experience for everyone involved as the live show was.

“The youngest models are all students at Ohio Valley Voices.,” said Neuville. “Their adult counterparts are Alumni, parents, and teachers at OVV.”

This year, attendees were able to walk through the Millett furniture showrooms while at the event. 

“We are so excited to host the 5^th Annual LOVVE Amplified Fashion show with a live and virtual audience,” Neuville said.  COVID-19 limited the number of guests allowed to attend in person. “The virtual event allows us to reach viewers all over the world. Everyone gets to see the fashions of DAAP graduates, our local boutiques, and of course, see our adorable Ohio Valley Voices students and alumni on the runway.”

Every dollar raised goes to the tuition assistance program at Ohio Valley Voices. Ohio Valley Voices is an early intervention program that teaches children with hearing loss to listen and talk through the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants. OVV has made it their mission to provide every child entrusted to them with a language-enriched environment and the tools to talk so they can have the brightest possible future.  Their belief all children have the right to reach their fullest potential has made Ohio Valley Voices one of the top early intervention and educational programs in the country for deaf children from birth to eight years old.

“Ohio Valley Voices will never turn a child away for lack of money,” said Neuville. “The mission of the school is no child shall be denied their dreams.”

The purpose of the fashion show is to raise money for the tuition assistance program to support these families in need. Neuville says 30-percent of the student population is at poverty level or below creating a large fundraising need. This year in particular the other purpose for the fashion show is especially important to students as well. The DAAP senior students from the University of Cincinnati have seen all other fashion shows cancelled limiting their ability to model their creative design work.

“All the plugs got pulled on all the fashion shows for these seniors,” Neuville explained. “We were the only one that still held the fashion show; still held the live event.”

Students graduate from OVV and move into mainstream learning environments where they have found success that measures up to that of any normal hearing student in the country. Statistics bear it out. The average reading level for a deaf student using sign language as only form of communication is fourth grade level. Neuville bubbled with enthusiasm as she shared the dreams come true of some of the OVV graduates.

“Here we have aerospace engineer PhD,” said Neuville. “They (OVV grads) go off and do amazing things. We have one at MIT, one at Rice, and a Georgia Tech 2020 graduate getting his MV PhD.”

You can help OVV help the students do amazing things. Tune into the virtual fashion show this Thursday, October 8. The silent auction remains live until 11:45 p.m. Thursday, October 8, as well.

 Click here to register and join in for the virtual fashion show and silent auction

More about Ohio Valley Voices at: www.ohiovalleyvoices.org