Pamela Smith and Janell Mason
Ebony Fashion Fair Co-Chairs

We, as women collectively spend hours, days and weeks producing great charity events. When the results are almost final, we rush home to don our jaw-dropping attire and enjoy our hard work in style. Fashion and fundraising are intertwined more times than not one such occasion is the Ebony Fashion Fair coming to town on March 3rd. The traveling runway show, to benefit Arkansas Baptist College (ABC), will be held at the Statehouse Convention Center and promises to bring all fashionistas to their designer-clad feet. Designers showcased in the show, which is hosted by ABC and sponsored by Ebony and Jet magazines, have two women to thank for the almost certain applause: KATV on air personality Pamela Smith and her co-chair Janell Mason.

Pamela is no stranger to the Ebony Fashion Fair, as she was chairman of the show in 1994 when the event benefited the Carver YWCA in 1984. "Any time I can provide a public platform for a worthwhile cause such as education, I'm in," Pamela coos. "Working with Janell is value added," she concludes. Serving on the capital campaign committee for Arkansas Baptist College and raising funds for the marching band's spring festival "Arts, Beats and Cuisine" has confirmed Janell's dedicated involvement in the college's fundraising efforts. "My good friend, Beth Coulson invited me to the Ebony Fashion Fair several years ago and I was blown away," Janell noted. "Co-chairing this first-rate production is an honor."

In an attempt to reflect and attract diversity, this is the first time co-chairs in the Arkansas production have been of different races. Fashion appeals to women (and men) across cultural and racial lines, and while the national show has traditionally attracted predominately African-American audiences, its broad appeal is one that all people who are fashion savvy will appreciate.

The touring runway show began in 1956 as a small mini-fashion show to raise funds for a non-profit in New Orleans. Now over 180 organizations in the country benefit from the event with hundreds of thousands of people attending the show each year. As a 4-year beneficiary of the show, Arkansas Baptist College is able to provide financial assistance to students, quality academic programming and upgrade and maintain campus buildings.

Janell promises haute couture gliding down the runway, from "swimwear to evening wear, French funky to a stroll in the park or cocktail to girls' lunch," attire, for all styles and sensibilities will be accommodated. "It's just spectacular," Pam adds. "Guests will be treated to a visual delight; the fashions are not only amazing, the production is the likes of what you would normally only see on stage in major metropolitan area. You have to see it to believe it."