By Denise Richardson
ONEONTA _ Dr. Patrick Dwyer started as medical director at Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care three months ago.
On Sunday, he took a role in a Hospice fundraiser as a fashion model.
``I've never done this before,'' he said. Dwyer, a 20-year volunteer at Hospice, said he selected a sport jacket, shirt and shoes for one outfit and modeled a golf vest while carrying a golf club in another walk down the runway.
``You did a good job,'' Diane Toth, of Hartwick, told him. Dwyer pretended to talk on his cell phone, which was entertaining, and he looked at ease, Toth said after the benefit luncheon at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street in Oneonta.
"Everyone liked it,'' Toth said.
The first benefit of its kind was a success, said organizer Bernadette Cannon, who arranged for the opening of the Catskill Area Hospice Thrift Shop and Boutique in 2007. Fourteen models wore outfits from the racks of the store, she said.
The luncheon, presented by Specialty Caterers and costing $25 a ticket, drew 106 guests, Cannon said, and she estimated that the benefit raised more than $2,000 before expenses.
``I'm ecstatic,'' Cannon said.
Dwyer wasn't the only first-time modeler.
Matt Voelker and Anthony Jessel, Hartwick College students, also stepped onto the runway.
``It was a blast,'' they said without hesitation. They frequently shop at the thrift store, they said, and were pleased with not only their purchases but also the invitations to participate in the fashion show.
``We said, `Absolutely,''' said Jessel, 19, a sophomore philosophy student from New York City. His modeling wardrobe included a navy-blue cardigan and a gray jacket.
Voelker, 20, a senior, said the shop offers good-quality clothes that fit a student budget. On Sunday, he modeled a three-piece suit, which he said he plans to buy because he needs something to wear for graduation. The price tag is $10, said the political science major from Chappaqua. ``It's a steal."
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