Partners Advancing Student Success of West Georgia broke records with its largest-ever Ladies Night Out fashion show July 21.
Not only did the fifth Ladies Night Out feature more boutiques and sponsors, it hosted more guests than ever and raised a record $94,000 to support the work of student advocates in local schools.
PASS – in partnership with both Carroll County Schools and Carrollton City Schools – places advocates in each local high school to help remove barriers for at-risk students and keep them on-track for graduation.
“The success of Ladies Night Out truly surpassed all of my expectations,” PASS Executive Director Brooke Mobley said. “Following the direction of our board of directors, I knew it was time to grow the event, but I never dreamed just how well it would be received.”
Ladies Night Out was relocated this year to the Campus Center Ballroom at the University of West Georgia, allowing it to host about 300 guests and 12 pop-up shops from local boutiques. Guests could visit the pop-up shops before and after the fashion show for purchases including some of the styles from the runway. The boutiques used local models in the show which was emceed by Sidra McWhorter.
Mobley took over from longtime executive director Cynthia Langley in September 2022, and said PASS has taken the opportunity to try new things this year.
“This was a transition year for the PASS organization as a whole so changing the venue and date for Ladies Night Out was a bit of a gamble, but our community rose to the occasion,” Mobley said. “I can’t say thank you enough to those who purchased tickets and sponsorships, donated money, time and services to make this a record breaking fundraiser for the PASS organization.”
Mobley leads a team of six full-time and two part-time advocates who are placed in local high schools. Ladies Night Out is a key fundraiser for the organization and ensures advocates have the resources they need to help students succeed.
“Last school year our numbers topped 5,000,” Mobley said. “The success of this event will ensure that these services continue to reach our growing numbers and that students in our community continue to be positively impacted by our organization.”
PASS board chair and local State Farm agent Amy Brown said vibrant community support and Mobley’s leadership were both drivers of the event’s success.
“Ladies Night Out is a huge event with many, many people, businesses and organizations involved, and this was our largest one yet,” Brown said. “We’ve seen the need in the schools continue to grow, and our board recognized it was time to expand this event to create more support for our local students. We are so thankful for those businesses and individuals who see the value in the work PASS is doing and support us at Ladies Night Out and throughout the year.”
To learn more about PASS and its mission to serve local students, follow Partners Advancing Student Success on Facebook and Instagram. For more information about how to donate and further the mission of PASS, visit passwestga.org/donate.
View the Ladies Night Out 2023 Gallery here.