DEARBORN — Sponsored by the Dearborn Kiwanis Club, the University of Michigan-Dearborn Circle K hosted its second annual charity fashion gala.

The first gala was held in 2019, but the event was canceled the last two years because of COVID-19.

“Typically when you go to a fundraising event or dinner, it’s just a dinner and a long list of speakers,” said Nadia Nasir, event organizer and Dearborn Heights’ D7 School Board member. “With our gala, we wanted to provide entertainment that would be upbeat and make our audiences’ time and money well worth it. The fashion aspect of it sets us apart from the many other events and galas happening in our area. Not only were we raising money for an important cause, but we were having a good time while doing it.”

The Circle K picks a new charity every year. In 2019, it benefited Kids Coalition Against Hunger, a 501c3 Michigan-based nonprofit organization that packages food for children nationally and globally;  this year the group benefited the Rehmat Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that promotes educational programs and awareness on mental health and illnesses.

“We chose to go with the Rehmat Foundation because they are starting to hit the ground here in Dearborn Heights and Dearborn,” Nasir said. “Their most recent project was creating and distributing over 1,000 mental health journals to students at Annapolis, Crestwood, Melvindale, Dearborn, Fordson and Edsel Ford high schools. Their focus is our neighboring cities and then plan to expand in the years to come.”

In 2019, the event raised $8,000 for Kids Coalition Against Hunger, which was allocated to packaging 28,571 meals. While the amount raised has not been fully counted for this year’s event, it’s estimated nearly $20,000 has been collected for the Rehmat Foundation.

“We need the community to understand that we are going through a widespread epidemic of our own people experiencing mental illnesses and even taking their own lives,” Nasir said. “We need to bring light and attention to this topic and not be afraid to have tough conversations with each other in order to support one another. The numbers are devastating and we cannot afford to keep losing our own. We need to collectively work together to educate ourselves and understand what mental illnesses are. The community needs to know that this movement will not happen overnight or single-handedly. We will end the stigma, together.”