This coming Wednesday, April 18 the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) will once again hold the Goodwill Fashion Show.

PRSSA is a nationally recognized organization with more than 10,000 students and advisors nationwide.

“PRSSA is an organization for those interested in public relations, communications and marketing among other things” senior Natalie McCormick said. “It’s an extremely beneficial group in that it can help you enhance your education and broaden your network by connecting with professionals in PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), the parent group of PRSSA.”

As a public relations organization, events like the Goodwill Fashion Show give PRSSA members a chance to work on a project that has a great deal to do with the type of work members will be doing after graduation. From event planning to promotion there are plenty of opportunities for PRSSA member to get some hands on experience.

“PRSSA divides up into committees that take on major tasks involved with the preparation and execution of the annual Goodwill Fashion Show,” PRSSA president Jessica Gurney said. “We have members involved with everything from social media and press releases to design and recruitment of models. We see this event through from beginning to end, and it usually ends up being our major project for the year. We pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box on themes each year and trying to incorporate it into the marketing, poster design, decorations, and even the models’ clothing.”

The Goodwill Fashion Show is a longstanding tradition on-campus that students organize and participate in.

“PRSSA has been putting together this event long before I came to Simpson, so it has been a long-standing tradition,” Gurney said. “I think we make a great partner for Goodwill, because our main focus of the club is to gain real-world experience with advertising, event planning, and promotion, which is exactly what this project revolves around.”

The Goodwill fashion show is an event put on by PRSSA that students and faculty alike are able to participate in. Participants have the chance to put together outfits from Goodwill for the fashion show while gaining donations for Goodwill at the same time.

“We hope to raise clothing for Goodwill and bring awareness to what this company is trying to do,” said Rachel Smith senior and PRSSA vice-president . “To get in the door we require all students to bring one article of clothing to donate. We hope to get at many people to attend and just put on a fun, memorable event.”

This year, the fashion show will be held off campus for the first time at the Brickhouse Tavern and the members of PRSSA are excited to be holding the event in a new venue.

“This is the first year we are moving the fashion show off campus, and we couldn’t be more excited to try out a new venue,” Gurney said. “It will be held on April 18 at the Brickhouse. The models will hit the catwalk right at 10 p.m. and the theme is Seven Deadly Sins. There will even be a signature cocktail created specifically for this event for those in attendance over 21.”

Any student looking to get involved or become a member of PRSSA are always welcome to come to a meeting and check it out. 

“We’re always looking for new people and it’s a great organization to be a part of,” Smith said. “There aren’t any guidelines to be a participant you just have to show up to meetings which are held every Tuesday in McNeill at 7 p.m..”