A Guardian Angel In Our Midst . . .Bobbi Lampros Shines

By Madeline Zuckerman

As the Giving Sponsor of Fashion Week El Paseo 2023 for the second consecutive year, Rancho Mirage resident Bobbi Lampros is shining a light on five nonprofits within our Valley. These deserving nonprofit organizations celebrated at this year’s Fashion Week El Paseo included Desert Arc, Safehouse Of The Desert, Oak Grove Sanctuary, Mizell Center’s Meals On Wheels, and Palm Springs Pathfinders.

Growing up on a farm in rural Oregon, Lampros was raised by hard-working parents with seven children and very little money.

Lambros recalls that her mother “always found a way to find people who were poorer than we were in order to help them.” Because of my mother, I learned that helping others, especially the less visible, was the right thing to do.”

Even as a farm girl, Lampros always had a flare for fashion because she knew she could wear clothes to express her personality. She would even pick strawberries to afford school clothes she liked. As she grew older, Lampros thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of helping other people look good without spending much money.

“Desert Arc is grateful for the kindness of benefactress Bobbi Lampros in opening the door to Fashion Week El Paseo to our nonprofit organization,” said Richard Balocco, President/CEO of Desert Arc. Her belief in Desert Arc’s mission to enhance the quality of life and create opportunities for people with disabilities took the form of our firsttime participation in an extraordinary evening as a proud beneficiary of this vogue event. It was a fantastic networking runway and gave Desert Arc entrée to a new audience of potential supporters. Reflecting on her tour of Desert Arc and drawing on this experience, our activation during the reception took the form of a showcase and sale of jewelry and artwork designed and created by people with disabilities. Her generosity and philanthropic spirit is a gift beyond measure to Desert Arc.”

Lampros’ hope as the Giving Sponsor of Fashion Week El Paseo was to raise visibility on the critical work these nonprofits do in our community and to encourage attendees to donate their time and financial resources to these deserving organizations.

“One of the best things we can give ourselves as a gift is to give back to others,” Lampros commented.

On Wednesday, March 22nd, Education Sponsor Jordan Schnitzer presented the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Debut Collection, benefitting Desert Arc. The evening’s festivities began with an elegant and fun Reception at 7:00 pm followed by an extraordinary Runway Show at 8:00 pm attended by several hundred people. During the show, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising’s graduating third-year couture students revealed their Debut Couture Collection. These emerging designers presented a unique and modern take on what’s next in the fashion world. Collections shown during the evening featured