Strut in Manhattan Beach to benefit Children's Hospital April 14

Celebrate spring, show off your new spring pedicure, and socialize for a cause at South Bay’s chic boutique Shade Hotel, Manhattan Beach, at One Small Voice Foundation’s Fifth Annual Open-toe Shoe Party.

Scheduled for Sunday, April 14, from 2 to 5 p.m., the event, which has become a popular, highly anticipated spring social affair, invites guests to show up in their favorite spring open-toe shoes, combined with a pedicure from their favorite salon and spa to enjoy an afternoon of hors d’oeuvres, specialty drinks and the opportunity to bid on fabulous silent auction items from music, TV and movie industries. Items for purchase also include vacation getaways, sports memorabilia, premier restaurant gift certificates, spa packages and winery tours.

Attendees may even choose to step up and compete in a light-hearted Open-toe Shoe Contest for prizes, to be awarded to the top three finishers by a celebrity judge panel, based on style, grace and overall best look for spring.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event will benefit the leading edge optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) research of Mark Borchert, MD, at The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

One Small Voice Foundation founders Kevin and Debbie Katzbeck established the foundation in 2000, the year their first son Zachary was born and diagnosed with ONH, a leading cause of blindness in children. Since then, their foundation’s efforts continue to help increase funding for ONH research to help improve the treatment and change the future for children who may be affected by optic nerve disorders.

“As our daughter Milla has ONH as well, my wife Andrea and I are one hundred percent committed to assisting – and also encouraging others -- to help further enable Dr. Borchert’s vitally important ongoing research,” said Shade Owner Michael Zislis.

Prior to Dr. Borchert’s research efforts, there was limited information and a lot of erroneous thought on the nature of the disorder. Since then, stated Dr. Borchert, “I’ve been able to shed light on an epidemic problem and demonstrate that it is a multi-system disease affecting much more than just the eyes,” adding, “this has resulted in families being able to come out of isolation and be united with other families who have a child with this diagnosis.  Plus, they’ve been able to procure appropriate resources for their child and procure better care.”

General admission tickets cost $75 per person. For $100, guests may purchase VIP tickets, which include entry to a pre-event reception with a mimosa bar from 1-2 p.m. Parties of up to 12 people may purchase a $1,500 VIP table. The first 100 ticket purchasers will receive swag bag gifts.

Tickets may now be purchased online at www.onesmallvoicefoundation.org through April 11. Cash, check and credits cards will be accepted the day of the event for admission, based on availability, as well as for the silent auction. For more details about the event, call Kevin Katzbeck at (630) 842-6400.