Saks Fifth Avenue hosts Key to the Cure kickoff

WHAT'S HAPPENING Fashion, food and fun were the focus Oct. 15 when Saks Fifth Avenue at Stony Point Fashion Park closed to the public and opened its doors to ticket-holders for the kickoff to the 2009 Key to the Cure.

The four-day national shopping campaign/fundraiser at all Saks stores supports women's cancer research and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Locally, the kickoff and 2 percent of total sales Oct. 15-18 benefited the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

Saks General Manager Jeffrey Gehrlich and his team of staff and volunteers engineered the event kickoff. Local restaurants donated food and served gourmet savories to more than 200 guests at tasting stations throughout the store.

A tiered cake adorned with Massey Cancer Center's logo was created and donated by Graham Haddock of Cakes by Graham. Other activities included a Tarot card reader, caricature artist and music.

Highlighting the event was a fashion show with models from Modelogic.

Additional funds were raised from sales that night of 163 limited-edition T-shirts created especially for Key to the Cure by designer Michael Kors.

"Saks Fifth Avenue Richmond is very proud of its close relationship with VCU Massey Cancer Center. We have supported women's cancer research at Massey through our Key to the Cure event since the store opened in 2003, and look forward to a continued association with this tremendous institution," Gehrlich said.

Special guests included Dr. Gordon D. Ginder, director of Massey Cancer Center, David A. Lyons, chairman of the Massey Cancer Center advisory board, and Rebecca C. Massey, an advisory board member. "How fortunate we are to have such wonderful support from our Richmond community for such events as this," Massey said.

Marsha Polier Grossman is a Chesterfield County freelance photographer. She can be contacted at .