Fashionable support

Lisa Macchione and her two daughters always loved to dress up but on Sunday they did it to help a charity.

Macchione and her daughters Sofia, 4, and Olivia, 6, Davey often dressed up in different outfits but mostly Halloween costumes. Olivia said one time, when she dressed up as a bee, her dad thought she had a stinger.

Instead of yellow and black stripes, Olivia and her sister pink outfits at the third annual MS Society’s Passion for Fashion show at the Travelodge Airlane.

After a rehearsal and a few treats, Sofia and Olivia took to the stage and wowed the audience. Macchione said she was happy to have her children participate at the event.
"I thought it was a great cause," Macchione said. "It’s a great event and you want to bring recognition to a really important cause."

The fundraiser raised more than $6,000 last year with more than 120 participants in attendance. Linda Adamson, chair of the board for the MS Society, said they hoped to raise more than last year and hoped more people would brave the winter-like weather to watch the show.

About 700 residents have Multiple Sclerosis, a neurological disease most often affecting women. The disease can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility. There’s currently no cure for the disease.

Adamson said these kinds of events helps to raise money for Thunder Bay’s local chapter to ensure that those with MS live more comfortably. She said that MS is the most common neurological disease to affect the youth.

"MS affects women more than men especially during their more productive years so when they’re young," she said. "We help people by purchasing items such as wheelchairs, beds and things they will need with the disease. We also supply monies for home care, childcare, yard care and things like that."