Bras for the Cause and Boxers, Too

Laughter, applause and bidding wars fill the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center each year as some of the community’s most imaginative creations make their way down the runway.

Bras for the Cause and Boxers, Too may be playful by design, but its purpose is deeply serious. The always sold-out event has become the signature fundraiser for the Greater Clermont Cancer Foundation, generating upwards of $100,000 annually, or about 30% to 35% of the nonprofit’s yearly funding.

The concept began after GCCF founder Phyllis Hutchison attended a similar event and brought the idea home. Kay Simpson organized the first fundraiser and Marie Howd later took the lead as it grew from a hotel-lobby gathering into one of South Lake’s most anticipated nights of the year. The event has been held every year except during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 18th installment is planned for 2027.

Models choose their own themes, then strut the runway wearing elaborately decorated bras and boxers created by local artists, as an auctioneer works the room. Bidders sometimes join forces, friends cheer from their tables and unexpected antics keep the crowd laughing. Tickets include dinner donated by local restaurants, and the evening also features drinks, music and a silent auction.

Guests do not hold back. At the 2026 “Guns ’n Hoses” event, designs sold for between $1,000 and $11,100, helping push the night’s total past $120,000. Local business owners, first responders, cancer survivors and longtime supporters all joined the show.

Amid the fun, organizers make sure the reason behind the event remains front and center. Cancer patients helped by GCCF are spotlighted, and moments of remembrance honor those affected by the disease.

“We are 100% volunteer,” GCCF President Laura Henry says. “And everything we do, every dollar we raise, goes right back into helping local patients and their families.”

Those dollars fund grants that ease treatment-related expenses and provide scholarships for students from families affected by cancer and holiday assistance for patient families. GCCF also connects patients with resources and offers local support groups.

Bras for the Cause and Boxers, Too is an event in which creativity becomes compassion and a community goes all out for neighbors who need it most.