The tradition continued on November 4, 2012 with Milken’s fifth annual Fashion with Compassion. Starting on a fall Sunday morning and leading into the early hours of the afternoon, the event took place at the Stephen S. Wise Temple’s main sanctuary.

With an attendance of approximately 600 people, this year’s show attracted an audience that exceeded last year’s by 20%, showcasing the ever-growing interest and support of the Milken community. Beit Issie Shapiro, an organization for people with disabilities, is the benefactor of this year’s event.

As always, Fashion with Compassion is completely student run. This year’s chairs were Alexandra Torkan ’13, Jordyn Schiff ’13, Hannah Berookhim ’14 and Yasmine Novian ’13. There were 50 volunteers who worked the event as well as 66 models who showed off different vendors’ clothing.

“I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this and cannot express how glad I am to have such an amazing program at my school allowing me and my peers to get involved and make a difference,” Berookhim said. “I have seen firsthand the potential that a group of students, each with specific talents, can do to fight for a profound cause.”

One of the founders of Fashion with Compassion, alumni Celine Yousefzadeh ’11 came to support this year’s event and to see how their charity drive has progressed through the years.

The placement of advertisement banners throughout the Westfield malls could have contributed to the increased attendance. Sponsorship for this year’s event included Richard Akaway, Centek, Davidson Global Inc, Elite, Genlux, Hydroderm, Janettes, MGA entertainment, OPI, Weathervane, Westfield, and Violent Lips.

Berookhim was given the honor of taking on next year’s Fashion With Compassion event as chair.

“It is a gratifying experience. Watching these students work so hard for four months and then seeing their faces and excitement when they see the outcome. It’s rewarding,” Torkan said.

Beit Issie Shapiro is amongst Israel’s leading organizations furthering the rights, opportunities, and services for people with disabilities. Beit Issie Shapiro’s focus is to provide innovative and high quality therapeutic and educational services, work for social change and advocacy in the community, and engage in development, research and training.

This years Fashion with Compassion yet again continued to show it’s popularity through commitment from the chairs, models and volunteers.