Ruthe B. Cowl’s Runway for a Cause fundraiser, fashion show announced

Russell Cerda, who recently took over as the RBC Board of Directors president, announced the event and asked for the generosity of the community.

“We are gathered here today to announce the fundraiser event that is hosted by Joe Brand and the Deutsch Family. We are here to ask for the support of the whole community to this event,” he said.

Additionally, Cerda said that besides the fashion show, there will be raffles, live auctions and more.

Cerda also spoke about the increasing needs Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center has due to more people asking for services.

“Because of the onset of COVID and the true number of people who continue to have issues with their illnesses or due to sequels of COVID, we have to expand our services, and therefore we have a real need to provide services to more and more people from Laredo,” he said.

Cerda also said that due to this new situation, they added positions to the board of directors in order to raise more money and expand their efforts.

“We are a young board,” he said. “I recently became board president, and we added some new board positions in order to expand our efforts.

“We want to be able to have more of an impact on our fundraiser abilities. With more people we have helping us, the better chances we have to provide more services to the community through our rehabilitation center.”

Cerda thanked Joe Brand and the community for their support.

“We are also here to truly thank Joe Brand and the Deutsch family and their efforts to help support us and we also seek for the support of others in the community,” he said.

Jacqueline Rodriguez, Executive Director at Ruthe B. Cowl, also asked for the support of the community.

“Now, more than ever, Ruthe B. Cowl needs the help of the community. We have always helped patients who need rehabilitation, and as you know, no one is exempt to need the help of our center, she said. “More than help and support to our center, it is an investment in the future of our families.”

She said that they have seen an increase of people in need of rehabilitation services due to COVID.

“Right now, besides our regular patients, we see patients who were infected with COVID and who have sequels, people who were left with disabilities, who sometimes have to learn to walk again, to learn how to talk, or how to eat. It’s a tremendous life change and we try to get them to reach the highest goal so they can gain back the skills they lost.”

She also thanked Joe Brand for their efforts in helping Ruthe B. Cowl with this fundraising event.

“The Joe Brand family have done a lot of fundraisers. This, in particular, is a great event. It is like a fashion show in New York City or Paris with professional models and great designers,” she said.

She added that the last time they held “Runway for a Cause,” they raised $200,000.

“I want to thank Joe Brand and the Deutsch family for their support and thanks to our community who supports us,” Rodriguez said. “I invite you to attend this magnificent event.”

Lisa Deutsch Hinojosa and Terri Deutsch, owners at Joe Brand, Inc., said that they have been supporting Ruthe B. Cowl since 1960.

They spoke about the fashion trends they will be featuring during this event.

“We try to select those garments that are the most fashionable and we try to present new fashion designers from the city and from around the world,” said Terri. “This year we will have a Colombian designer, a French designer, and for the gentlemen, a Canadian designer. We also invite those designers to come and attend the event.”

For more information about the event, contact Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center at 956-722-2431.