Zareinu students walk the runway at fashion show

Zareinu student Lea Melkuev walks down the runway with her physiotherapist T.S. Frankel of Zareinu Educational Centre. GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTO

The Zareinu Educational Centre’s 11th annual fashion show raised more than $400,000 in support of the school and treatment centre for children with physical and developmental challenges.

For the first time, the fundraiser, held Nov. 10 this year at Toronto’s Park Hyatt Hotel, was split into two events. The 650 guests could choose between attending either an exclusive luncheon event or an evening cocktail party, both of which were followed by a haute couture runway show in which a number of Zareinu students participated.

“Seeing those gorgeous kids up there, proudly strutting it, beaming with courage and determination, is the sweetest sight imaginable,” said host Jeanne Beker.

Esti Cohen, Renee Rosenzweig and Stacy Markin have jointly co-chaired the event since its inception. At the luncheon, Markin shared with the crowd an emotional breakthrough that happened only days before.

“Miracles do happen at Zareinu! My daughter, Shayna, graduated from Zareinu seven years ago – she is now 19 years old.  Shayna has severe neurological challenges, and the prospects were grim: we were told she would never walk or talk.  

“Nevertheless, Zareinu laid the foundation of a future filled with happiness and hope for Shayna.  

“When Shayna was six years old, she pointed to my picture and said ‘Momma.’ This long-awaited milestone was huge. It was a miracle.  Shayna does not talk,” her mother said.

“Until last week, whenever Shayna wanted my help, she would point or take my arm and lead me. This time, Shayna walked over to me, looked into my eyes and said ‘Momma.’ I asked her what she wanted and she pointed to her iPad and took me by the arm and led me to it. She then said ‘iPad.’  As it had run out of batteries, she couldn’t get it to turn on. I asked her if she wanted it on, she nodded yes and said ‘on.’

“We had a conversation.  She got what she wanted… and so did I,” said a beaming Markin.

Zareinu student and event model three-year-old Lea Melkuev has Down syndrome and has had two successful heart surgeries in her short life.

“A miracle happened when Lea started to attend Zareinu,” Lea’s father, Oleg Melkuev, said. 

“When Lea came to the school at two years of age, she was this adorable, sweet girl who couldn’t even sit up straight.  When you put her into a sitting position, she kind of flopped over,” said T.S. Frankel, a physiotherapist at Zareinu.

Today, Lea can stand at a table and play, and she can walk holding someone’s hand.

“We are using the Dynamic Method of Kinetic Stimulation (MEDEK), a physical therapy intervention to develop functional movement,” Frankel said. “Unlike other interventions, tasks can be performed without the child’s attention, conscious thought or co-operation. By challenging the child’s balance in the upright position, our goal is to develop stability. The MEDEK therapy focuses on training movements leading to sitting, standing and walking.

“Lea is a very bright girl, hard worker and delighted with her accomplishments,” Frankel added.

“My hope is that Lea will be independent one day and be integrated into the public school system,” her father said.

One of Zareinu’s goals is to have children leave their centre with an increased ability to integrate into more typical surroundings.

Cory Bickof, one of the evening runway models, also has Down syndrome. He came to Zareinu at four weeks of age. Now eight years old, he is fully integrated into a local pubic school. Without the intensive therapies and support received at Zareinu, he would not have been able to achieve this goal

“Cory is able to do so many things independently. He can take his jacket and hang it up. He takes his lunch out of the lunchbox and feeds himself. Cory is now able to use a pen – he can draw and he can write some letters. He is now reading. He is able to interact socially with other children,” said Leanne Bickof, Cory’s mother

“These are all skills that he learned very gradually,” she said.

Zareinu Educational Centre is a world-renowned treatment centre and school for children with physical and developmental disorders. 

Proceeds raised from this year’s fashion show will be allocated to expanding the integrated preschool program on-site at Zareinu, developing additional satellite classrooms within Toronto Jewish day schools, and providing more services through its mobile unit (known as the YEDA program) to schools in both the private and public school systems, said event co-chair Rosenzweig.

 

For more information, visit www.zareinu.org.