May 2, 2016

Children Star at PANDA: “Children Helping Children” Fashion Show and Luncheon

Not all heroes wear capes, but some do! PANDA CUB superheroes help out! Andrew Polachek, Luke Polachek, Scarlette Shapiro, Annie Spiekerman, Sam Spiekerman and Lexie Polachek

The Phoenix Women’s Board of the Steele Children’s Research Center at the University of Arizona held its 17^th annual PANDA “Children Helping Children” Fashion Show and Luncheon on April 23 at The Phoenician Resort. The event, themed “Not All Heroes Wear Capes,” featured 50 models, live and silent auctions and a raffle. Not surprisingly, each year the children and grandchildren of members steal the runway show.

More than 1,000 guests attended the event, raising a record $1.33 million that will fund the PANDA Personalized Pediatric Medicine Project and endowment.

Sandy Hobbs, Kristi Spiekerman and Lara Polachek co-chaired this year’s luncheon. Alexandra Boyle serves as board president.

PANDA (People Acting Now Discover Answers) was founded by Penny Gunning and Robyn DeBell in 1999. To date, the organization has raised more than $6 million to improve treatments and cures for devastating childhood diseases as well as fund and recruit internationally recognized pediatric physicians and scientists to Arizona, providing local families with the most cutting-edge medical care.

PHOTOS COURTESY PHOENIX WOMEN’S BOARD OF THE STEELE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH CENTER