When commercial Realtor Art Seiden’s wife, Julie, received catastrophic injuries in a horseback riding accident, the rehabilitative care she received at Englewood’s Craig Hospital was so helpful – and delivered with such compassion – that the Denver couple vowed to do whatever they could to help raise money and awareness for it.
They started PUSH, an auction and dinner that was a success from the get-go and got bigger every year. Money that was raised went to the Craig Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research, enabling it to become a world leader in the treatment of spinal cord and brain injury.
Julie died in 2006, but her husband kept her memory alive by continuing PUSH with the same vigor she had shown during her recuperation. The sixth edition of the benefit was a record-breaker in both attendance and income, pushing the cumulative income over the $1 million mark.
The leadership team – chairman Steve Hochhauser, the president, chairman and CEO of Johns Manville, and honorary chair John Lynch of the Denver Broncos – worked with a committee that included Larry Atler, Ron Branish, Leslie Fishbein, Sandy Loeffler, Janet Lozow, Steve Mandel, Joel Rosenstein, Saul Rosenthal, Tim Schmidt and Robert Silverberg.
The bottom line is …
Presidents of the seven metro-area Zonta clubs met at Excelsior Youth Center in Aurora for a leadership training session that culminated in the awarding of a $5,000 check for Excelsior to use in helping graduates make a smooth and productive transition back into their respective communities. The money was significant in that it represented the 1 millionth dollar that the Zonta clubs have awarded to local nonprofits between the years 2000 and 2007 … The 10th annual Avs Better Halves Charity Brunch and Fashion Show, held April 1, raised $80,000 for The Children’s Hospital, Teammates for Kids and Kroenke Sports Charities … CEO Jesse Wolff sends word that Community Shares of Colorado raised a record $1.56 million for 160 charities – including The Gathering Place, Colorado Public Radio, Project Angel Heart and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado – in its 2006-2007 campaign.
Lucky 13?
An unlucky day? Obviously not.
The Colorado Symphony Guild, the American Heart Association and the Children’s Hospital Heart Institute all have benefits scheduled for the day after tomorrow – which happens to be Friday the 13th – and no one is reporting that superstition interfered with ticket sales.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. She also contributes at denverpostbloghouse.com/Davidson.
