Kent State entrepreneurs are giving back to the community this week to help raise money for children and families affected by cancer.

The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) is teaming with Nellie’s Catwalk for Kids (NC4K) to raise money for childhood cancer at the Entrepreneurs Give Back Benefit Saturday, at 7 p.m. in the Kent State Student Center.

“This is the first year we are holding the event, but we hope to continue it either annually or ever other year,” said CEO President Samantha Leta. “We are doing it to spread awareness for pediatric cancer and, as future entrepreneurs, to spread the importance of giving back.”

The event includes a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, a Chinese auction and a children’s fashion show. NC4K partners with the Columbus community every year to host a children’s fashion show to raise money for pediatric cancer care.

The theme for the fashion show is “Together we can step out of the darkness into the light.” According to Kayla Hodnett, junior fashion merchandising major and a representative for NC4K, each child will be dressed in all white to represent the theme and will be paired with pops of color to signify each cancer.

According to NC4K, they have raised over $400,000 to benefit local families touched by pediatric cancer since 2007. They have recently started hosting multiple mini fashion shows throughout the year at malls, college campuses and other venues to fundraise for the cause.

Nellie’s Catwalk for Kids was founded by Nellie Krumlauf when she was 16 years old. Krumlauf’s grandmother lost her battle to cancer in 2007, and after doing research, she realized pediatric cancer had the least funded research. Her plan was to host a fashion show to raise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. After meeting the children affected by cancer, she realized it had to grow into more than just a one-time event.

“We chose to partner with them because all of the CEO members loved the cause,” Leta said. “A lot of us could relate to the issues some of the families incurred.”

The money raised through the benefit will go directly to NC4K to cover families’ medical bills and a portion will stay with CEO to cover the organization’s costs and national dues.

Tickets for the event are $25 and students are encouraged to purchase early because seating is limited. For more information, contact Samantha Leta, president of CEO at [email protected] or 440-636-2333. The event will be held in Kent Market II in the Student Center.

Contact Alex Cihlar at [email protected].