From Runaway to Runway: Fashion and Fun Meet Needs of Tampa Youth

On Friday, October 12, from 7-10 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Convention Center, Miracles Outreach will be hosting From Runaway to Runway, a fundraiser fashion show and banquet gala.

The fashion show will feature several youth who have greatly benefited from Miracles Outreach’s programs. They’ll be outfitted by designer Urban Inca. Speaker Tammy Levant, bestselling author of “Women Who Mean Business,” will inspire and motivate you to take practical steps towards the fulfillment of your dreams.

Miracles Outreach has been working with teenage foster children, girls and boys, ages 12-17, in the Tampa area for over five years, providing mentorship, workshops and three group homes that provide holistic and comprehensive care.  Some of the children staying in Miracles’ group homes have been commercially sexually exploited; most haven’t. Diandre’s mother was shot one random night in their apartment; Valerie’s aunt and uncle were abusing her; Uniqua’s father was using drugs and neglecting her; Tyler’s mom went to prison.

However different the road that leads these children to foster care may be, the end result is the same—each child is in desperate need of stability, unconditional love and support.

And that’s exactly what Miracles provides.

One of the unique things about Miracles Outreach is its ability to provide structure and stability for even the roughest populations in foster care, the youth who aren’t ready to transition to the more common foster care setting, with foster parents.

Taylor Vaughn, who has since graduated high school and is now studying in college, stayed with Miracles Outreach from 2007-2008 after just barely escaping from her pimp. She had few residential programs to choose from because she had been trafficked, and was terribly misunderstood, labeled a “habitual runner,” by case workers and other adults. When she arrived at Miracles, she was skeptical at first, untrusting of adults, but found that they had her best interest in mind. Taylor now works with girls at Miracles, helping them to heal, make healthy choices, and grow.

Taylor is just one of over 300 children who have passed through Miracles’ doors. And, as many children have been reached already, the need to reach more is exponentially higher.

In Hillsborough County alone, 2,153 children are in foster care, with 556 children aged 11-17. Currently, Miracles Outreach doesn’t have the space to accommodate even ten percent of the number of children that were removed from their homes last year.

With every ticket purchase, Miracles Outreach will become more empowered to meet the overwhelming needs of the foster children in Tampa and Pinellas counties. Miracles Outreach is already positioned, with its great reputation and proven track record, as a key player in helping to stabilize, inspire, and transition our most vulnerable youth from hopeless to successful and bright futures. 

With increased community support, imagine what more they could accomplish!

To purchase a ticket for From Runaway to Runway, visit www.MiraclesOutreach.org. Sponsorship/Donations can go to:  Miracles Outreach CDC. P.O. Box 310603 Tampa FL 33680.  Fashion Show/Gala Silent Auction/Raffle Donations and General Questions: Connie Rose Event Coordinator (727)-515-3619.