Every year The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia puts on a fashion show, The Runway, to help raise money for the hospital and its causes; the event is normally put on at The Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, but this year, because of the COVID-19 restrictions, they had to get creative.

This year the fashion show looked a little different; it was prerecorded on the rooftop of the hospital in Philadelphia and made into a virtual drive-in experience event. This year the event raised funds for the most pressing need at the hospital — the COVID-19 Relief Fund.

The parking lot at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Specialty Care & Surgery Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was turned into a drive-in movie theater for attendees to watch the screening of the fashion show. There was also a virtual option for people to watch from the comfort of their homes.

I attended the drive-in event with my cousin, my mom and my aunt, a CHOP employee who put in a lot of hard work and planning to make sure the event was one to remember. As we arrived, a CHOP team member greeted us with a tray of gourmet snacks like a cheese board, popcorn, chocolate and more; each tray also came with a little spray bottle of hand sanitizer.

The fashion show was displayed on a giant screen in front of the hospital building, and each car turned to a certain radio station to hear the audio.

The event was hosted by Philadelphia 6 ABC’s news anchor Karen Rogers and featured inspired looks from different fashion designers such as Lilly Pulitzer, Neiman Marcus, Joan Shepp and more. CHOP’s female frontline heroes, along with some inspiring and cute patients, modeled the looks.

I admire how the event\fundraising and hospital staff at CHOP are able to navigate the challenges thrown at them in order to continue to raise awareness and funds for the hospital. Check out CHOP’s Event Page to find out how you can participate in upcoming virtual events.

— Mary Melnick, social media and editorial coordinator