By Mikayla Geraghty – Staff Writer

Every year Bishop’s university students come together to put on a charity fashion show. As the new school year begins, and with the addition of new members, the executive committee faces new challenges. One of these tasks is the selection of a well-deserving charity to raise funds for throughout the school year.

After much hard work, thought and deliberation, the committee settled upon this year’s charity: the Dixville Foundation.  Dixville is an organization committed to helping people with autism or intellectual disabilities, serving about 2000 people in the Eastern Townships region. Their services vary based on the needs of the families they assist. The foundation aims to continue making positive impacts and be allies with individuals on the autism spectrum as well as individuals living with intellectual disabilities. The foundation accomplishes this through a multitude of different outlets. It offers evening programming and respite care for families. The foundation also provides financial aid to families when needed. It also offers opportunities for families and individuals not typically covered by government aid and other services the support they might need.

When asked to comment on the reasons behind this selection, the executives of the fashion show committee wrote in a joint statement, “We chose Dixville because we wanted to help a charity that was in the Lennoxville community, as we wanted to have a positive impact on our direct community and surrounding townships.” Dixville is the first building in sight when entering Lennoxville via the highway and the last people see as they exit the town. It’s a building most Bishop’s students may have passed by countless times over the years without knowing the impact Dixville has on the community. 

Through this year’s partnership, the fashion show hopes to bridge the gap between members of the Bishop’s community and those of Dixville’s. The executive committee endeavours not only to raise money for the foundation but also to create a long-lasting connection with the charity. 

“We chose this local charity to have the chance to meet some of the people we would be helping, as having a personal relationship [with] the charity was very important to us”, the statement read. The committee described how Donald Warnholtz, the director general of Dixville, was very transparent about where the funds would go. Warnholtz explained how the funds would be used to continue programming and provide activities to the members of the Dixville community. “Donald has also given us the opportunity to be hands-on with the charity and have our models volunteer to help out at the center, which has allowed all of our show participants and committee members to understand the charity on a deeper level.” 

Warnholtz shared with The Campus that he was eager to work with the fashion show and display “the fact that the Dixville Foundation has a worthy cause”. He was happy to be able to provide more programming and activities through the charity. Warnholtz shared that the fashion show and Dixville had already worked together once in the past, 19 years ago.  He said that it was an exciting opportunity to have the fashion show support the charity again almost two decades later. 

Warnholtz graciously allowed models in the fashion show to visit Dixville on Thursday evenings and participate in adult programming. Models are encouraged to go and share in an evening of games, colouring and chatting with Dixville members in a continued practice of relationship-building and connectedness. The fashion show team has extended invitations to the Dixville community to attend the fashion show on Feb. 24 as the guest of honour.