The Willow Glen Resident Ooo-la-la: Willow Glen's Bobbi Jo Hahn (center) is among the models in this year's Junior League fashion show, a salute to Paris called 'Joie de Vivre.' Junior League members model 'Joie de Vivre' at fashion show By Mary Spicuzza When Willow Glen's Bobbi Jo Hahn joined the Junior League of San Jose three years ago, she had no idea it would lead her to catwalking along a high-fashion runway. Hahn, a stockbroker and training manager for Charles Schwab and Company, Inc., got involved to give back to her community while meeting people in her new home. But now, step aside, Iman. Kate Moss, take a lunch break. This week Willow Glen residents like Hahn and a crew of other Junior League volunteers are taking over the runways to show off the latest in French fashion. But unlike typical supermodels, these local folks are volunteering their time to bring about a new level of social change. They will be catwalking this Thursday and Friday as part of the Junior League of San Jose, Inc.'s 10th biennial Fashion Show Fundraiser. The Junior League's Joie de Vivre Fashion Show 1998 will transform the Imperial Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel San Jose into a whirlwind of all things French. More than 30 models--members of Junior League along with their spouses and offspring--will be strolling past Parisian cafes, strutting through museum sets and walking through the French countryside in fashions provided by Nordstrom Valley Fair. Each of the three shows--a luncheon show on both Oct. 29 and 30 and a Friday evening Black Tie Gala--feature 12 vignettes devoted to the romance of France. For the first time ever, this year's show will include a dozen theme prizes raffled off throughout the three fashion shows, including everything from a getaway vacation to France to furniture for the patio and garden. The evening event will feature live entertainment in the foyer by Dick Bright's SRO Lite Band. "The fashion show has been great fun," Hahn says, "and a great fundraiser for work in the community." Glenites Ben Navaras and George Reilly are two of the male models participating in the fashion show. It's Navaras' third year in the show; his wife is in Junior League. Navaras used to coach the boys' and girls' tennis teams at Willow Glen High. The Junior League's last fashion show in 1996 raised more than $300,000 to help the group continue its tradition of assisting nonprofit organizations throughout Santa Clara County. Junior League President Jean Rummelhoff, whose husband, San Jose Unified board member Gary, will be making his modeling debut this year, says the organization hopes to raise even more this year. Rummelhoff says Nordstrom, which has collaborated on the past three shows, has been crucial to the fundraiser's success, providing clothing, funding and fashion know-how. "We're very pleased to be working with Nordstrom again. They've been wonderful," Rummelhoff beams. This year's fundraiser will aid ongoing projects as well as any new areas where the league decides there is an unmet community need. Current projects include working with the Santa Clara County Bar Association on guardianship clinics, known as LACY (Legal Advocates for Children and Youth), Las Hermanitas with MACSA (Mexican American Community Services Agency), Parents Helping Parents, Kids on the Block puppet shows promoting fire safety, and Lead-The-Way with the Girl Scouts of America. The Junior League was very active in establishing the Georgia Travis Center for homeless and at-risk women and children. The Junior League has raised over $3 million in its 30 years of service to Santa Clara County. Since its humble, seven-member beginnings in 1948 as the Service League of San Jose, the women-driven group has been operating as an affiliate of the Association of Junior Leagues since 1967. It now has 819 members. During that time the organization, with its slogan "Women in Action ...Volunteerism at its Best," has worked in collaboration with other community groups, providing volunteers, financial assistance and administrative guidance. The Junior League has worked with organizations ranging from Via Rehabilitation Services to the Vanished Children's Alliance and Arts Council of Santa Clara County. Each year the group hosts a huge fundraiser, alternating between a rummage sale and the fashion show, to allow its continuing devotion to community service. "It provides a way for our volunteers to learn about the community," Junior League public relations chairwoman Lilinda Carta-Samuels says. And while the Junior League isn't all fun and games, "Joie de Vivre" proves that community involvement can be both fun and fashionable. The Oct. 29 and 30 luncheons ($65) begin at 11 a.m., and Friday's black-tie dinner ($125) starts at 6:30pm. All shows are at the Fairmont Hotel, 170 S. Market St. For more information, call 536-0988. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, October 28, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.