Fashion fundraiser for a good cause

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- One family is using their tragedy to improve the lives of others by holding a charity event with designer clothes at discount prices.

Jody Katz had a passion for fashion and dedicated 35 years of her life to design, even starting her own label, Too Sheshe. After losing her battle with cancer last year, family members wanted to do something special to help others suffering from the disease in South Florida. "My sister was 52 years old when her life was cut short by a terrible cancer," said Jan Gettis of Jody's Couture for the Cancer Cure.

Family members established Jody's Couture for the Cancer Cure Charity in Jody's honor. "My aunt, Jan Gettis, came up with the idea but then it spread like wildfire when everybody heard it, and all her friends and all my friends and my cousin's friends wanted to get involved," said Ryan Fair of Jody's Couture for the Cancer Cure.

Designer items such as men's, women's and children's clothing, handbags and shoes, all will be sold at deeply discounted prices next month at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The convention center is donating the use of the building on March 21. "We've collected all this new clothing, 5,000 pieces of brand new, designer clothing and 5,000 pieces from the most coveted closets in South Florida," said Gettis.

"These are Juicy, we got items from Juicy, we got this from a furrier in Aspen. This is a beautiful new piece, retails at a $1,000," said Gettis.

This fashion fundraiser features top names at extremely low prices. "Ten, $20 and $30. Some of the items are into the hundreds, $900, $1,000, and it's all going to cancer for research," said Gettis.

Proceeds from the event will benefit women's cancer programs at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, all in Jody's name. "If this would have happened to another person, she would have started a charity just like this one to help somebody else out with cancer," said Fair.

The fashion fundraiser is March 21 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

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