My second year attending the Art of Fashion event was yet again, nothing short of fabulous. Last Thursday, over 1,000 members of our community got dressed in their best Studio 54 themed outfits and headed to Museum Plaza in Downtown Pensacola for a groovy night supporting Covenant Care.
The pre-party, the fashion show and the after party were all memorable to say the least, but there were two individuals who stood out the most — Anna Marie and her Daughter Evie. Anna Marie and Evie are clients of Covenant Care who walked in the fashion show to honor their son and brother, Wyatt.
Before the show, they shared their first-hand experiences with the Covenant Care program and reminded us all of why we got dressed up that evening. In 2020 Anna Marie was given some of the most devastating news a parent can receive. Wyatt, her six year old son, was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Anna Marie was left to look at end of life services for her child and was lead to Covenant Care and their My Wish program. My Wish’s hope is to create moments where every seriously ill child and adult can escape the fear and pain of illness while creating lasting memories for families and communities. One of Wyatt’s wishes was to get his big sister Evie an iPhone 11 and have a joint birthday party with her.
“Wyatt was the best brother I could have asked for ,” said Evie when she was asked about the My Wish program. Evie also attended Covenant’s Camp Connect program which connects kids who have gone through loss or something similar.
Sitting in in the crowd you’re awe-struck by their strength. Not only the strength it took to get through the last few years, but the strength to share their story to a room full of strangers.
“Covenant did so much for us and our nurse Amy Thomas was a blessing — she made us feel good and made sure Wyatt was as comfortable as possible. Please take away that what you’re doing tonight is very important,” Anna Marie spoke to the crowd. “Walking someone through the end of their life is not easy and we are so grateful for organizations like this one.”
Anna Marie and Evie then kicked off the show and walked the runway as they received a very inspired, teary-eyed standing ovation from the crowd.
Emcee, Cat Country 98.7’s Brent Lane, reminded us that every penny raised tonight would stay right here for families in Pensacola, and for the next 30 minutes the crowd looked like popcorn popping as hundreds of paddles were lifted into the air to raise money for more families experiencing similar situations.
As I reminisced on last Thursday, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to Covenant Care for all you do, the event organizers and sponsors for an incredible outcome and Anna Marie, Evie and Wyatt for their strength. And lastly, thank you to this community for showing up and showing up big. I don’t think anyone went home on Thursday night feeling anything short of extremely fortunate to live amongst such compassionate, empowering people.
