Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis hosts unique derby-themed charity fashion show and brunch

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - On Friday, the Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis brought locals together for food, fashion and philanthropy for its inaugural “Rotary to the Races” charity celebration.

This is a first for the South Mississippi organization to host the annual Jazz brunch and derby-themed fashion show. The gathering was held at the Bay St. Louis Community Center.

The charitable event called for men and women from parts of the coast to come dressed in their finest cocktail attire from dresses to pants suits, and, and of course, wide-brimmed hats.

“So, we’ve had the idea for a while that the Kentucky Derby theme would be really fun, says Meg Noonan, Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis Secretary. “We decided this year to repurpose one of our old fundraisers that we did, Ripple in the Bay, and turn it into something new.”

While the event centers a fashionable focal point, the intention was to recognize non-profits for their service in the Hancock community.

“We had a goal to be able to give each charity $2,500 dollars,” says Cynthia Chauvin, Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis President. “They wrote competitive grants for projects. Before today we had already raised enough to be able to give those three grants away.”

Bay-Waveland Habitat for Humanity, Bay St. Louis Little Theatre, and Magdalene House were each awarded funding for their non-profit organizations.

“Well, we are super excited to be chosen as one of the non-profits,” says Barbara Ambrose, Magdalene House Co-Director. “We depend on great people like the rotary club to help us on projects and getting our mission done at Magdalene House.

This year, nearly 200 people were in attendance. The rotary club anticipates the event will continue to expand.

“So, everything we raised today is just lagniappe, says Chauvin. “It’s going to help us to continue our work to make it bigger and better and serve in a deeper way.”

WLOX’s morning anchor Jaimee Doris served as this year’s host.

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