OC hosts fashion show, luncheon

OCEAN CITY -- Hundreds of women from the tri-county area converged on the Ocean City convention center on Tuesday to show support for a worthy cause.

About 700 Delmarva women attended the American Cancer Society's Holiday Wrappings luncheon at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. The event, which has been held in Ocean City for more than 20 years, is one of the largest single-day cancer fundraisers on the Eastern Shore.

"It's a heck of a cause," said Barbara Turley of Ocean View. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Turley first attended the luncheon last year and said she made it a point to return this year for the fun afternoon of food and fashion.

The 2008 luncheon featured a 50/50 raffle, silent auction and fashion show by Salisbury's Head Over Heels. The guest speaker for the afternoon was Mary Jo Codey.

Codey, former first lady of New Jersey, is known for her work with mental illness and breast cancer. Codey, who lost her mother to breast cancer, is a breast cancer survivor.

The Holiday Wrappings luncheon has grown considerably since it began years ago at the Sheraton. Last year, the event raised more than $74,000 for the American Cancer Society.