Inspiration on the high seas
When Sue and Rich Jones cruised from Copenhagen to Canada in 2000, little did they suspect the trip would leave an indelible impression. It happened early in the morning the day their ship sailed toward Quebec. A terminally ill child was aboard, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to fulfill her dream of re-creating the scene from “Titanic” where Rose (actress Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) stood at the bow of the ill-fated ocean liner, arms outstretched with the wind billowing through their hair. “We stood on deck and watched as this young girl, dressed in the dress that Kate wore in the movie, stood at the bow, arms outstretched, with Celine Dion’s song, ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ was piped through the public address system,” Sue Jones recalled. “It was a glorious sunrise coming into Quebec Harbor, and when we docked, they had a red carpet and a Leonardo DiCaprio look-alike to greet her with roses. We were so touched. With tears rolling down our faces, we knew that we had found an organization that was very special.” After returning home, the Joneses contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado and offered their support. Their most recent gesture was signing on as presenting sponsors for the foundation’s annual gala which, coincidentally or not, had a seafaring theme, “Captain Jack & The Isle of Wishes.”
Remember when?
Twenty years ago, 400 women raised $12,000 for Girls Inc. of Metro Denver by attending a junk food-and-comedy fest called Girls Night Out. Elayne Boosler provided the yuks at this event founded by Jan Cortez, who at the time was a member of the board of directors for the mentoring organization. Girls Night Out has enjoyed a steady growth, and a few changes, not the least of which was the 2004 name change to Girls & Guys Night Out. The 2006 edition, headlined by comedian Dana Carvey of “Saturday Night Live” fame, had 1,000 guests and raised a record $593,000. The food has evolved, too, rising from the early-day taco and pasta bars to this year’s elegant dinner of braised short ribs and assorted pastries. But that’s not all: Debbie Tilton recalled that when her friend Debbie Riggs was the co-chair in 1998, “One of the local theaters donated tubs full of popcorn for the centerpieces. Debbie faithfully picked them up and put them in the trunk of her car, only to discover that they had tipped over en route to the hotel and she was left to scoop up all the kernels and put them back in the tubs. This year when we came to set up, we discovered the Hyatt had done everything for us.”
Moving right along
Girls Inc. didn’t waste any time to build on the success of this year’s Girls & Guys Night Out: Melinda Dark and Hillary Adams, co-presidents of the sponsoring Girls Inc. Alliance, are announcing that the date for 2007 is Oct. 12 with Emmy award winning comic Wayne Brady of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” as the headliner.
