Positive Expressions

Ebony models came off the magazine’s pages and down a ramp at the Inn at the Park hotel in Anaheim recently. Stepping lively to a jazz trio, 13 men and women displayed fine fashions--from sportswear to evening gowns--from American, Italian, French and British designers.

Last week’s two-hour event, which drew 250 supporters and raised $4,000, benefited the local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a national scholastic organization that focuses its community efforts on children, education and seniors.

The group offers a writing contest each year that’s open to all county students. Sorority member Denise Young said the title of the contest, “Express Yourself on a Positivity,” was inspired by an essay by a teenager published a black youth magazine.

“The teen wrote that people always think teens have nothing to offer; they’re involved in drugs and gangs. But teens have a lot to offer, positive things come from youth, and they’re the future,” Young said.

“We were inspired by that, and we decided to start an essay contest that would encourage youths to express themselves.”

Students interested in the contest can call Young at (714) 558-3823.