Mayor Joe Pitts welcomed guests to this year’s Bella’s Closet Fashion Show Fundraiser, which was held for the first time at APSU’s Dunn Center.
“Bella’s has been around since 2019, and this is the organization’s second annual Fashion Show Fundraiser,” Mayor Pitts said. “WSMV-4’s Joylyn Bukovac has graciously returned to host the event. She went through a tough period of time in her personal life, and Bella’s was there for her, just like they are for any lady in need of assistance.”
The original idea for Bella’s came from the late Carolyn Watson. She wanted to create a resource dedicated to empowering women in Clarksville-Montgomery County and the surrounding communities as they enter or re-enter the workforce, by providing them with free professional work attire. She saw her dream come to life, but sadly, she passed away in 2024, shortly before the inaugural Bella’s Fashion Show in 2025.
More than 500 people attended this year’s event. Guests enjoyed lunch catered by Smoked Goodies, as well as a silent auction that featured approximately 100 donated gift baskets. Of course, the highlight of the event was the fashion show itself, and this year’s featured dozens of local models.
“We didn’t really run out of space at our previous venue, but we were close to it,” Co-founder Cindy Pitts said. “One of our board members suggested APSU. We reached out and they were so kind to work with us. We serve APSU Students, and for us it meant a lot. We work with a lot of APSU students, so for us to be here is amazing.
“This year we tried to pair mothers and daughters to model for us, and people just kept reaching out, wanting to be part of the show. We had a lot more models this year.”
All the clothes worn on the runway were items donated by women in the community.
“Every item that was modeled was donated,” Pitts said. “A lot of people said they could not believe that what they were seeing on the runway all came from Bella’s. That just shows the amazing items that women bring for other women to be successful.
“The vision truly started in 2019 with conversation. We started all the paperwork to set it up as a non-profit, then Covid-19 hit and everything was shut down. Once things started opening up, we set up at the 300-square foot Trahern Mansion Carriage House. We were then invited to YaiPak for a year, and then the opportunity came for our location at 108 Kraft St., which has been a wonderful move.”
First Lady Pitts shared that Watson was in prayer one day when she felt the Lord nudging her to do this.
“She approached me with the idea and wanted to know if I would like to be a part of it,” Pitts said. “We started it together, but she was the one in prayer who received the vision. It was an honor to work with her.”
Organizers had Watson’s picture on display in her honor. She passed on Oct. 12, 2024 at the age of 78.
“We had Velma Jo Williams sing ‘Goodness of God’ this year,” Pitts said. “I made the comment that if Carolyn could look down from Heaven, she would be one happy lady to see what this has become. It has grown so much from last year’s show, in participation and donations, including monetary donations.
“We were in desperate need of those and they are really starting to come in, now. People in the community made silent auction baskets for our silent auction. It was just such an outpouring of community support. It was amazing.
“I’m not yet sure how much money we’ve raised, but we are so grateful to the sponsors, the generosity of the community, and to every woman who bought a ticket. All of whom are so instrumental in helping us continue the mission. We feel like God has called us to do this.”