The dinner that Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno host for Judi’s House certainly isn’t the largest event in townafter all, their Luca D’Italia restaurant holds only 86 people — but it’s a giant in so many other ways.
This year it raised $160,000 for the children’s grief center that Chicago Bears quarterback Brian Griese started five years ago in memory of his mother, who had succumbed to breast cancer. Since its start, Judi’s House, 1741 Gaylord St., has helped 2,000 children ages 3 to 18 cope with the death of a parent.
With help from Griese’s wife, Brooke, a clinical psychologist, Judi’s House programs are being expanded to about 25 public schools in Denver and Jefferson counties. “Our vision is that no child in Colorado should have to grieve alone,” Griese said.
Griese was the Denver Broncos quarterback when he started Judi’s House, and despite having changed teams, he maintains a home here and fulfills an active role as president of the Judi’s House board.
The Luca Dinner, as the fundraiser is known, is chaired by another Judi’s House board member, Dr. Dean Prina, whose leadership skills have helped bring the cumulative total to an astonishing $500,000 in four years.
A big draw, of course, is the meal that is served. This year’s menu included organic beet carpaccio, butter-poached prawns, veal and fontina ravioli, beef tenderloin and butterscotch budino. And all of that came after a social hour featuring cocktails courtesy of Beverage Distributors and a seemingly endless array of passed hors d’oeuvres.
CBS4 sports anchor Reggie Rivers called the auction organized by John Wickliff, Joe Hornstein and Doug Chapiewsky, selling both a Harley-Davidson and a fly-fishing trip to King Pacific Lodge in Canada to Breckenridge Mayor Ernie Blake. Developer Bill Mosher was high bidder on 10 suite-level tickets to the March 6 face-off between the Colorado Avalanche and the Anaheim Ducks, then donated it back to be sold again in memory of his friends, the three members of the John Parr family killed in an automobile accident in Wyoming over the Christmas holiday.
Other guests were Kent and Susan Vick (she’s chairing Excelsior Youth Center’s 35th anniversary gala on May 30 with Cynthia Hansen and Wendy Warren); Caroline Karlin, whose daughter volunteers at Judi’s House; Ray Williams and Roni Atlas; Tom Gargan; Ray Baker; J Madden and wife Linda Poletti; Dan and Dawn Horvat; and executive director Karmen Carter.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, davidson
