First time for everything
There have been plenty of clever themes in the nine years that the Denver Public Library has had a Booklover’s Ball, but the 2006 edition was the first time that it revolved around a single book.
Attorney K.C. Veio and his wife, Kristina, built the party around the Lewis Carroll children’s classic, “Alice in Wonderland,” bringing in actor Paul Borrillo to portray the Mad Hatter while other Borrillo associates circulated in costumes drawn from the fantasy tale: the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts and the title character herself.
After stepping through the looking glass – in real life, the doors leading to Denver Central Library’s Schlessman Hall – the 450 guests were free to enjoy cocktails and conversation before journeying up the rabbit hole (escalators or elevators) to Epicurean Catering buffet stations. Instead of the usual numbers, tables were identified by oversize playing cards; centerpieces were cakes baked and decorated in the shape of hats.
Party favors included decks of playing cards donated by Cherry Creek North, the shopping district whose marketing guru, Christina Brickley, had to cancel out of this Very Important Date at the last minute. Her husband broke his leg earlier in the day, and she felt it was more important to stay home and tend to his needs.
One in a million
Dr. Tim Byers, deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, has received $1.1 million from the American Cancer Society to to continue his work with understanding and improving breast cancer survivorship in Latinas. He received the money at a reception held at Denver Museum of Nature & Science; it was the largest single grant in the $11.3 million that the ACS awarded to Colorado cancer researchers in its 2006-07 distribution cycle.
Byers’ work focuses on nutrition and how it relates to cancer prevention and the early detection of cancer. He has a history of cancer in his family and is a long-time volunteer for the ACS.
Welcome back
When the Junior League of Denver hired Sharon Hartman as its new managing director, it was, in a sense, as if she’d come full circle. Hartman, who had been a program manager for Denver Health and Hospital Authority, was president of the JLD in 1991-92, then went on to serve the organization at the national level, first as director (1994-96), then as nominating chair (1998-99) and finally as treasurer (2001-03). Outside the league, Hartman serves on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center Foundation; Supporters of Children; and the Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education. She also teaches in Regis University’s School for Professional Studies, Master of Nonprofit Management division.
