Local non-profit to host inaugural fashion show to fight human trafficking


The newly formed non-profit San Diego Sparkles Foundation, which supports children displaced by war and at risk of human trafficking, will host a fashion show and benefit luncheon for children on September 17 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla from 10:30 a.m. until 14:00.

The goal is to raise $250,000. Children from San Diego and all over Southern California will attend the show, with clothing provided by Macy’s Fashion Valley and Santori Designer Fashions in Solana Beach.

“Seeing all the news and everything going on with the human trafficking and orphaned children after all the war that was going on, I started thinking about what we should do,” said Rancho Bernardo resident Kathy Kassardjian, founder of the organization.

Proceeds from the event will be distributed between the AMAA Orphan Fund, the ECF Children’s Fund, the Security Corridor Bilateral Coalition and the Donbas Orphanage in Ukraine, and event co-sponsor Trek 2 Share Foundation.

Kassardjian’s involvement with Sparkles stems from her experience fleeing Lebanon during the Civil War with her infant child. After heading first to Uruguay and then to Canada, her family settled in the United States. She has lived in San Diego for 42 years.

“God has given us the opportunity to move here in this country and work hard, make a living and now I think it’s time for us to work harder and give other children food to put on their table, Kassardjian said. “Some countries need $1 a day to put food on their table for a child to feed.”

One of the highlights of the event will be keynote speaker Summer Stephan, San Diego County District Attorney, who has made the fight against human trafficking one of the hallmarks of her career.

There are as many as 8,000 human trafficking victims a year in San Diego, according to the district attorney’s office. Human trafficking is typically associated with women and girls, but boys make up about 50% of LGBTQ youth trafficking victims in the US, and face an especially high risk. Stephan has also issued advice to keep children safe. “I spent [Stephan’s tips] for a number of people, because I think we often live in a bubble that distorts reality,” said Hillcrest resident Vonnie Madigan, a Sparkles volunteer. “We don’t want to hang around, but we want to make sure the kids are safe. And I think that, between our local situation and the international situation, those of us who are blessed enough to live in San Diego should give back.”

Tickets range from $50 each for kids 12 and under to $5,000 for an “elite trackside table for 10.” For more information, email kathykass55@gmail.com. The Sparkles Foundation can be reached at PO Box 676067, Rancho Santa Fe, 92067.





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