When Annabel Bowlen steps out, it’s always in a gown or suit or dress that seems to be plucked from the pages of the latest fashion magazine. So it would follow that when the wife of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen modeled in the annual Dames & Dogs Fashion Show, her precious papillon, Teddy, would scamper down the runway at Glenmoor Country Club wearing the latest in canine couture.
Thing is, Teddy didn’t exactly scamper. He rode in a soft pink doggie carriage whose top could be adjusted to suit the weather: should it be too sunny, or a bit misty, on his daily constitutional, a protective canopy could slide into place. Otherwise, it was an open-air ride.
Carriages, jeweled collars and leashes, sweaters and booties from Pet Outfitters in Greenwood Village drew lots of appreciative applause when the Colorado Angels staged their annual fundraising luncheon. Approximately two dozen “dames” worked the runway with their pampered pooches as 100-plus friends looked on.
Scottie Iverson, a founder of Colorado Angels, chaired the benefit; member Ann Altbrandt handled logistics and Bertha Haugen provided the piano music for the social hour that preceded lunch. WB2 morning personality Natalie Tysdal emceed.
Each year, the Colorado Angels identify a local cause to receive the money its members raise. Dames & Dogs is the signature event, although additional funds come from donations and other sources.
Among those enjoying a Cobb salad luncheon and the parade of pooches were Arlene Mohler (her fiancé, Don Johnson, had opened his home for the 2004 Dames & Dogs); Terry and Dr. Elaine Scholes, whose daughter, Jennifer, modeled with her Sheltie, Joda; Patty Imhoff; Carol Roddy, there to cheer on her 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, as she walked the runway with Gizmo, the family pug; and Realtor Edie Marks with her daughter, Lori Connors.
Mentors make a difference
Kent Hutcheson knew he did a good thing when he started Colorado UpLift 23 years ago as a way to ignite the spirit to succeed in kids whose opportunities were limited thanks to circumstances beyond their control.
What started as a program focused on finding summer jobs for inner-city teens has evolved into a much-heralded and multipronged mentoring agency that builds long-term, life-changing relationships with urban youths from 17 Denver Public Schools.
Colorado’s Commissioner of Education, William Maloney, describes UpLift as “a rock in a sea of instability,” and Michael Bennet, Denver’s superintendent of schools, was effusive in his praise at a recent gala held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel.
UpLift, Bennet noted, can boast of having 90 percent of its participants graduate from high school and sending 95 percent of them to college, careers or the military. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the children you have rescued,” Bennet said to the 900 attendees at the Faces of UpLift.
UpLift staff and volunteers start with children in the fourth grade and stick with them through high school and beyond. The neighborhoods in which UpLift operates often have graduation rates of 50 percent or less and high incidences of drug use, violence and crime.
UpLift has attracted support from many Denver-area leaders, including developer Bill Pauls, who chairs the agency’s board; education activist Alex Cranberg; construction magnate Dick Saunders; and John Gart of the Gart Co.
Peggy Hector is president of the Colorado UpLift Guild and attended the gala with her husband, Dave, and such past presidents as Pam Ignat, Glenda Richter and Kathy Emmons. Other guests were Ryta and Steve Sondergard, who recently moved back to Colorado after spending the past several years in Tulsa, Okla.; M.J. and Paul Powers; Neal Groff; Marty and Jerry Berglund; Mary Kreutzer; Karen and Darrell Eastwood; Janie and Bob Butterly; and Trish and Ted Millice.
Employees at Barbee’s Freeway Ford assessed themselves to purchase a 2006 Mustang GT to be raffled at the gala; Natalie Snyder was the winner.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jmdpost@aol.com.
