Lauren’s Wish sells out fundraiser fashion show in Morgantown

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Models strutted down the runway Tuesday evening in Morgantown to showcase new fashion trends and a great cause as Lauren’s Wish held a fundraiser fashion show at WVU’s Erikson Alumni Center in Morgantown for the third consecutive year.

Lauren’s Wish is a Morgantown-based assistance center that bridges the gap to help people battling opioid addiction before they go to long-term treatment.

The event featured live music, a full buffet and both live and silent auctions throughout the evening.

12 News spoke with Mrs. West Virginia International 2024 and co-chair of the event Austyn Skeen on the importance of the community supporting the event.

“It’s huge, we wouldn’t have this without the community. You have to have people willing to give, we are so blessed to live here. I feel like Morgantown as a whole, I’m not from here, and just like living here for the last thirteen years. I love it. I’ve got a family here now, and having this type of community is just tremendous,” said Skeen.

Thirteen locally owned boutiques and clothing stores were featured in the fashion show, as well as works from WVU School of Fashion students. In-season trends and new collections were showcased, paying homage to Lauren Cole, the namesake of Lauren’s Wish.

Lauren battled opioid addiction and was on the path to recovery before her passing after a relapse in 2020, leading her parents to create Lauren’s Wish in honor of their late daughter’s dream.

“The long-term goal of Lauren’s Wish is to open up ‘Lauren’s Ladder’ which would be the sister of ‘Jacob’s Ladder’. So instead of it being just a triage center, it would eventually be a treatment center, as well. The fentanyl and opioid epidemic is huge here in West Virginia, and we lead the nation in terms of overdose deaths every year. Lauren’s Wish is there to provide that in-between so we can hopefully, you know, save lives and that rate down,” said Skeen.

Since October 2023, Lauren’s Wish has assisted more than 500 people, and this year its fundraiser fashion show sold out of tickets, inching closer than ever to Lauren’s goal.

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