The South Orange Downtown Fashion Show returns to Spiotta Park this October, kicking off Disability Employment Awareness Month. Now in its fourth year, the event will showcase models from JESPY House on the runway, featuring the latest trends from Sadie’s and stylish creations by Artistry by Ampy Salon. Guests will enjoy small bites and refreshments from Three Daughters Baking Co., along with a cash bar benefiting JESPY House.
This celebration not only brings fashion and community together but also shines a light on the meaningful contributions of the JESPY House community. Many local businesses proudly employ JESPY clients, and the Fashion Show serves as an opportunity to highlight their talents, independence, and the value of inclusion in the workplace.
Event Details
Date: Thursday, Oct 9th | 6:00–8:00 PM
Location: Spiotta Park (20–32 Village Plaza, South Orange, NJ 07079)
Free Admission
Featured as part of Downtown on Display: celebrating local businesses with unique events just for you!
LEARN MORE ABOUT JESPY HOUSE
South Orange-based JESPY House is a non-profit organization that has supported adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for over 45 years. Clients, age 18 and up, are guided in various areas along their journey to independence and leading fulfilling lives. JESPY’s philosophy is to promote self-direction, choice, and independent community living. Clients come from across the country to build lives in a community they can call their own.
In conjunction with clients and their families, JESPY works to break down communication and physical barriers they may have experienced to ensure that all clients have access to opportunities for full inclusion and advancement in their undertakings.
To that end, JESPY continuously advocates for the rights of those with disabilities; works to increase public awareness surrounding disability issues and concerns; and disseminates essential information and support to assist clients and their families in making informed choices about their lives and their future.
FEATURED BUSINESS OWNER
CAT FISHER
Catherine “Cat” Fisher is a dynamic entrepreneur and community leader based in South Orange, New Jersey. She is the owner of Sadie’s South Orange, a boutique known for ethically minded fashion, home goods, and socially conscious brands.
In 2018, she added Kitchen a la Mode (KALM) to her portfolio, transforming the locally beloved kitchen-supply store into a thriving, experiential retail destination, even navigating the challenges of the pandemic with creativity and resilience. Cat is also deeply invested in her town’s vitality. She has served on the South Orange Downtown board and was named Chair in 2022, bringing her small-business perspective and community-first vision to downtown development.
More recently, Cat has shifted part of her focus to consulting with The Co-Lab at South Orange, a nonprofit collaborative marketplace and incubator that supports local makers, entrepreneurs, and creative retailers.
Throughout her work in South Orange, Cat Fisher has been a strong collaborator and supporter of JESPY House, the nonprofit that empowers adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her boutique Sadie’s and other business ventures have worked with JESPY in several ways:
She has partnered in fundraising and awareness events, such as fashion shows, where JESPY clients model clothing from Sadie’s, helping to amplify JESPY’s mission and visibility.
Cat has supported JESPY’s Work Readiness & Employment Engagement (WREE) program, which helps clients gain job skills, prepare for employment, and connect with employers in the community.
She has made in-kind contributions and community-based support, leveraging her businesses, connections, and platform to help JESPY clients engage socially, artistically, and professionally.
In recognition of her ongoing support and meaningful impact, JESPY House honored Cat Fisher in 2019, celebrating her as an ally who helps enhance opportunity, inclusion, and empowerment for JESPY’s clients.