This past Saturday at the Macy's Rotunda in the Mall of America, the Minnesota Lynx held their inaugural Catwalk for a Cure to benefit the Lynx and Jean Stankoski Foundations, which both aim to increase breast cancer research and funding in the state of Minnesota.
The event raised nearly $10,000 as fans bid on one-of-a-kind items in a silent auction, including the players' pink jerseys worn in their win over Connecticut last Friday night.
But the main event was a fashion show, which featured Lynx players and coaches, and allowed the team to show a different side of themselves according to second year guard Candice Wiggins.
"We never really get a chance to show our personalities and stuff like that," Wiggins said. "But also because we had fun, and it's for a real good cause. We were able to give a nice donation. Rashanda (McCants) was able to talk about her foundation. I think it's important, as women, that we are passionate about a topic like breast cancer that affects women."
Each player displayed two outfits, and in the case of forward Charde Houston, one of the ensembles came from her very own closet.
"Upon hearing about this I knew that I wanted to have one outfit from Guess and one that I picked out personally," she said. "My first outfit was more of a business casual look, just a different way to wear spandex, and an edgier shoe like the bootie. My second outfit was more of punk rock look, with a leather vest and red, stone-washed jeans, and the shoes, high heeled platforms with zippers all over them."
But it was rookie Renee Montgomery who stole the show according to Houston.
"Definitely Renee she is like plain Jane, so to see her walk out in some fur boots, it was the opposite of the way she dresses but she looked beautiful."
The rookie stole the spotlight by stepping outside the box for her outfits.
"My first outfit was more of a skinny jeans, vest look with some sneakers...that's more my personality," Montgomery said. "But my second look, with the fur and the boots...that's nothing like what I usually wear. It's completely opposite of what I would wear but I just decided to do something different."
Montgomery went on to say this was a fun event, for a great cause, which hits close to home for many.
"It hits home for a lot of different people in a lot of different ways. For Rashanda (McCants) it's her mother, so that's really close. But I know somebody has an aunt or a cousin that they know who has had breast cancer and it's an issue that everyone can feel the impact of it. We all want to go for the cause and help find a cure."
At the conclusion of the event the team made a donation to the American Cancer Society and gave out the Jean Stankosky Scholarship. Candice Wiggins said she hopes the fans had a great time and left wanting to get involved in the fight against breast cancer.
"Just to get involved exactly," Wiggins said "I obviously do a lot of work with my foundation, HIV and AIDS, but breast cancer research is something I think women really need to rally behind and men need to rally behind women who are rallying behind it."
See Photos of the Catwalk for a Cure
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