Carrie Smith, owner of Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear in Santini Plaza, shows off one of her store’s outfits at the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation Fashion Show. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Carrie Smith, owner of Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear in Santini Plaza, shows off one of her store’s outfits at the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation Fashion Show at Santini Plaza. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Nan Williams hits the runway between Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear and The Islander at Santini Plaza. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy (with Cheryl Locke), joined in the modeling.
Gary Mathis (left) and Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy, stand in The Islander before heading out to model at the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation Fashion Show.
Jennifer Rusk models a necklace. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Tina Galganske is delighted to receive a towel as a door prize from Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation member Bonnie Blake. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Shari King, an employee at Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear, shows off an outfit from the store at the fashion show.
Kelly Smith and Nancy Bouchard, co-presidents of the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation members Kim Cullinan and Cindy Richardson carry gift bags to be awarded to lucky raffle winners.
These gift bags were raffled off at the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation Fashion Show.
More than 30 gift bags were raffled off at Santini Plaza.
With every seat taken in the Santini Plaza corridor between The Islander and Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear, and an overflow crowd standing and observing, models showed off some of the trendier beach clothes at Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation’s annual fashion show this past weekend.
The crowd was as equally excited to see the celebrated attire as they were to win the door prizes and raffled-off gift bags as part of the event, which is the main fundraiser for the foundation.
Anita Cereceda, owner of The Islander and a member of the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation, informed those who purchased the swag bags that they would be getting a free margarita at Skye’s Restaurant – a piece of information that drew the loudest applause of the day.
Others cheered for prizes like hand bags, jewelry and towels handed out during the show by the models. Many of the models were members of the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation while others were invited by the foundation to serve as models – like Mayor Ray Murphy.
Murphy joked that he was forced to model a beach shirt and hat but said he was glad to help the Fort Beach Community Foundation. “Everything that they raise goes back into the community,” he said.
Liz O’Brien, who is visiting Fort Myers Beach from Massachusetts for the month, enjoyed the show. “I thought it was great. I thought it was entertaining. Everybody was very nice in the shops.”
Evlyn Carlin, who works at Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear, helped emcee the event. “We had a fabulous time and the ladies at team Leani’s are ready to make you look spectacular,” Carlin said.
Carrie Smith, owner of Leani’s Swimwear and Sportswear for the last three years, was outside modeling clothes from her store on Saturday during the fashion show. She is the store’s third owner since it was established at Santini’s Plaza in the 1970’s.
“Our main goal here is to make sure every lady outlives time,” Smith said. “There was a Leani’s ladies before us and there will be a Leani’s ladies after us.”
Cindy Richardson, of the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation, said the fashion show used to be held indoors as a lunch-in but said the event draws more people outside. “People are so happy,” she said. “It’s our biggest fundraiser.”
Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation Co-President Kelly Smith said there was a “really good vibe” at the show. “We were so glad so many people showed up.”
While carrying gift bags to be awarded to the lucky raffle winner, co-president Dr. Nancy Bouchard called the show “awesome.”
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