On Sunday, Sept.4, the world of charity crosses paths with fashion at the San Francisco Institute of Possibility, in order to bring awareness of autism and other developmental disabilities.
The nonprofit organization embraceKulture and the Australia-born, the first supermodel with Down Syndrome Madeline (“Maddy”) Stuart teamed up to bring awareness to the many children with disabilities, who often struggle with speech and language barriers.
These constraints during social interaction leave many children feeling voiceless. This is especially found within developing continues, such as Uganda, where there is no word in the local language for “autism” or “Down Syndrome.’ Instead, the community uses Old World terms like “cursed,” “mad” or “possessed.”
“Love Without Words is a statement of the universality of love and the ability of fashions, images, and emotions to transcend these barriers and create a world where all are embraced,” said Christa Preston, Executive Director of embraceKulture, which is based in Uganda.
“We are very excited for Maddy to be working with her chosen charity, embraceKulture for this incredible cause that we advocate for more people to get behind!” Stuart’s management team said. “It is a great cause and a great event.”
The charitable event, dubbed “Love Without Words,” will start at 1:00 PM with a High Tea, where the wordless experience will showcase the non-traditional methods of communication these children use to express themselves. Upon arrival, all guests will be asked to take a vow of silence as they enter the event. They will be provided with boards complete with letters and pictures to help them communicate to others during the event. These boards, often referred to as “communication boards, are a tool used by those who struggle with speech and were made especially for this event.
Immediately following the wordless experience is the Fashion Show from 2-4 pm featuring the Australia-born Stuart, known as the first supermodel with Down Syndrome. Stuart worked side by side with embraceKulture this summer, when she traveled to Uganda to advocate awareness and acceptance of all children.
For as little as $20, embraceKulture is able to provide a family with lifesaving information and guide them on the journey from awareness to advocacy. Proceeds from the event go directly to autism awareness efforts in Uganda.
General admission is $25-55, but if you are a student who is interested in attending the event, no problem! Just use promo code “student25” to get $25 off the price off at checkout. Tickets can be found here.
Text by Tyler Drinnen, MA Fashion Journalism student.
