Lakewood Ranch Country Club hosts fashionable fundraiser

Divas and Dogs packed the house and raised funds for the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch.

By Jay Heater
| 2:00 p.m. April 1, 2023

East County
Neighbors

So when it comes to fashion for a cause, Norhala Houck is on board.

Houck, the owner of the fashion stores Twist Boutique and SunBug of Venice, loved providing the fashion part of the Divas and Dogs fundraiser that benefits the Humane Society of Lakewood Ranch.

Houck owns a mini Aussiedoodle so she is passionate about dogs. She appreciates the work done by the Humane Society of Lakewood Ranch.

Seven amateur models from the area volunteered to model Houck's fashions at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club in front of a packed house of 240 people.

"They did fantastic," Houck said of the models. "They came to the store and they chose things that fit their personalities, and we gave them a little guidance.

Divas and Dogs is an annual event and this year's theme was "A Royal Affair."

Lakewood Ranch's Jill Wellinger works the packed crowd at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club during the Humane Society of Lakewood Ranch's Divas and Dogs fundraiser March 31.

Mary Jo Hansen finds her husband Jorgen Hansen in the crowd and delivers a kiss.

Twist and Sun Bug fashion stores of Venice owner Norhala Houck describes the clothes each model is wearing as they walk through the crowd.

author

Jay Heater

Jay Heater is the managing editor of the East County Observer. Overall, he has been in the business more than 41 years, 26 spent at the Contra Costa Times in the San Francisco Bay area as a sportswriter covering college football and basketball, boxing and horse racing.