MIDLAND, Texas — Mark your calendars for May 17th and 18th. The Female Entrepreneurs of Midland (FEM) are having their inaugural Dive Into Summer VIP Fashion Show and Pop-Up Market and it's all to benefit a local non-profit.
FEM is a non-profit membership-based organization that focuses on cultivating a supportive community of female entrepreneurs. They started out in September of 2023, but the planning for the fashion show began last May.
"We just have such an amazing board of directors all of our women are just so invested in the cause and in supporting our community," said Lauren Howard, Female Entrepreneurs of Midland President. "We really came together and just chose to support the Midland Rape Crisis and Children's Advocacy Center because we really wanted to support women in our community for our first event and they do so much amazing work to support women in need and in crisis, in children as well. And so, we felt like that was really fitting for us."
All proceeds from the Fashion Show will go towards the Midland Rape Crisis and Children's Advocacy Center (MRCCAC). The MRCCAC provides many resources to the community like their advocacy department, therapy referrals and an educational department that teaches curriculums in schools.
For their first event, FEM wanted to help support a great resource in the community, so they were more than willing to partner with MRCCAC.
After an entire year of planning, the ladies of FEM were asked what the highlight of the entire process was.
"For me I think my favorite moment was really when we started getting sponsorships and sponsorships were coming through," Howard said. "That's what really made it real for us and it was like 'okay people believe in this, people want to support this and we're gonna make this happen.'"
"For me it's seeing something that I've envisioned for my market for years and years come to fruition," said Kimberly Whitten, FEM Board Member. "Have a community of women behind me or with me supporting the market and also supporting all these small businesses as well as supporting such a great non-profit, the MRCCAC."
MRCCAC also commented on how beneficial the event will be to their resources.
"With all the programs we have I think it will just benefit all the programs as far as like resources and things we can provide for the community," said Maura Jarldane, MRCCAC Therapy Program Director. "We're always in need of snacks and comfort items and stuffed animals for our kids that come in [and] interviews. Also snacks for our therapy clients. We do serve adults, not just children so there's items that we can have to help the adult victims with too."
The fashion show will be on Friday, May 17 and it will be located at the Bush Convention Center in Midland.
"We have over 80 vendors, all local small businesses from honestly all over the United States because we have some coming from other states as well," said Kimberly Whitten, FEM Board Member.
There will be a champagne greeting, fashion from local boutiques and businesses, three different runway styles and a silent auction with fabulous prizes!
Early access to the event is at 5:00 p.m. and doors open to the public at 6:00 p.m. with the fashion show beginning around 6:30 p.m. On Saturday the pop-up market will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
You can click here to purchase a ticket and use CODE: DIVE25 for $25 off your tickets.
Reporters Sydnee Jolivette and Lilybeth Valles will be hosts of the fashion so be sure to grab a ticket and come out to support FEM and the MRCCAC.