HARLEM — A couple of hundred masked and well-dressed partygoers will turn Harlem Hospital into their ballroom.
Harlem Haberdashery, a local clothing boutique on 122nd Street and Lenox Avenue, is hosting their second annual Masquerade Ball at Harlem Hospital’s Mural Pavilion Saturday.
Apart from raising money for the hospital’s pediatrics programs, the ball will honor Harlem activists, artists, and philanthropists who have contributed to the neighborhood, said Sharene Woods, who owns the boutique.
“Even though we just are a retail store I think part of looking good is living good and doing good,” said Woods.
The local fashion boutique has been hosting community events since it opened in 2012. They hold events during New York Fashion Week, the Kentucky Derby, and also host toy drives and tree restoration projects, she added.
The boutique is an extension of 5001 Flavors, a custom clothing store woods started with her husband Guy 20 years ago. Their clients include Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Lebron James.
Saturday’s ball is expected to combine high fashion with philanthropy.
“I expect that the event will be an evening of fun with a purpose,” Sylvia White, the hospital’s chief of staff. “So I expect it to be festive, I expect it to be interesting, I expect it to be a bit mysterious and I also expect it to be able to make a serious contribution to the patients.”
Tickets for the ball start at $100 and a portion of the proceeds will go toward the hospital’s pediatrics and neonatal units.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit had more than 300 patients in 2014, White said. They care for newborns who are as little as one pound and treat any medical emergencies that arise during and after the delivery, she added.
The children’s program treats pediatric aids patients and children who are chronically ill and disabled, White said.
Apart from raising money for the hospital, the event will also honor three local heroes.
The honorees include Henry Carter, local philanthropist and founder of Wheelchair Charities, activist Jackie Rowe-Adams, founded of Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E, and Leanne Stella, the founder of Art in FLUX.
“Our goal for all of our balls is to really honor the best of the best,” Woods said. “We get together community members leaders luminaries and politicians that make the community better. “
