by Alex Bloom - The Arizona Republic

Two charities will share in proceeds from tickets they sell for Scottsdale Fashion Week VIP shows Nov. 6-9.

The Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona will sell "supertickets," good for three VIP shows on designated days.

The spinal-cord association will sell tickets to VIP shows Nov. 8. The organization will sell tickets to the final three shows of the festival, including a show by famed designer Zang Toi. There are 500 tickets available per show, starting at $250.

"It's becoming a really unique event," said Lisa Henry Holmes, an entrepreneur who helped secure the partnership with the spinal-cord group. "There's nothing like it here in the Valley."

Holmes' father, Glen Henry, became a quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident in Wisconsin. He had been a football and swimming coach at the University of Northern Iowa, the alma mater of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.

Henry was also an avid racquetball player and scuba diver, but now is paralyzed below his shoulders. He relocated to Arizona after the accident and is cared for by his daughter.

The 8-year-old charity has about 5,000 members and provides information, care and support to people who have suffered spinal-cord injuries. The group sponsors sports, peer mentoring and annual retreats for Valley victims of spinal-cord injuries.

Holmes said the group's work is important because insurance companies often will drop payments for spinal cord Rehabilitation if they believe patients are not demonstrating improvement.

"If you're at a certain point that they can't help you anymore, they won't pay for it because they think you can't get any better," Holmes said.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona will sell tickets to the Nov. 7 VIP shows. The charity will be featured in Scottsdale Fashion Week programs and will highlight a terminally ill child seeking a wish.

Elizabeth Kaplan, chief development officer for the charity, said Scottsdale Fashion Week approached Make-A-Wish.

"I think it's really important for them to give back, and that's what they're doing," she said. "It's a win-win."

Both charities are selling "supertickets" to all three shows for their respective evenings. Tickets to all three shows on Nov. 7, sold by Make-A-Wish, will start at $350. Nov. 8 supertickets, sold by the spinal cord group, will start at $250.

Individual tickets to each show start at $100 and are available from fashion week organizers.