Evidently, the Beatles had it right when they sang “All You Need Is Love.” Because with the Heart Ball on hiatus, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation at Denver stepped right in with a Sweetheart Dance and had no trouble filling the Ritz-Carlton Hotel ballroom with 250 people happy to celebrate amour by raising money for a good cause.
That it wasn’t held in one of Denver’s king- size ballrooms was by design; organizers explained they wanted to test the waters before committing to a venue where it takes 800 or more to make the place look full. Not to mention the fact that plenty of the foundation’s supporters prefer a deluxe setting like the Ritz.
Six high-profile couples were asked to chair the Sweetheart Dance: Jamie and Alan Ange- lich; Wendy Aiello DeHaven and Walt DeHaven; Adrienne Ruston Fitzgibbons and Jack Fitzgibbons; Gail and George Johnson; Cathy and Peter Culshaw; and Pam and Corey Helm.
When emcee Stacey Donaldson of CBS4 introduced them, she also noted how long each had been married. With 37 years to their credit, the Johnsons have been married the longest; the Helms, who exchanged vows Jan. 2 in Hawaii, were the newlyweds of the group.
Jamie Angelich, president of The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation in 1993, is soon to be in a Denver Magazine layout; she and four others are to be photographed in clothing from Mariel for an upcoming issue.
Candles and fresh flowers from Jultak decorated the tables for a lovely dinner of roasted tomato cream soup; herb- and mustard-crusted chicken with polenta and asparagus; and tartlets made from bittersweet chocolate and Earl Grey tea that sat atop pools of lemon-verbena cream and crushed raspberries. Former Denver District Attorney Norm Early auctioned two tickets to the Carousel of Hope Ball in Los Angeles, which like the Sweetheart Ball also raises money for the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora; an overnight stay at the Ritz; and jewelry donated by Tiffany & Co. and The Crazy Merchant.
Once the bidding concluded, folks like Arlene and Barry Hirschfeld; Georgia and Walt Imhoff; Gretchen and Cal Pope; Diane and Buzz Sweat; Charles and Judy McNeil; Bonnie and David Mandarich; Stacey Mendelson Preblud and Jeff Robinson; Nancy and Dr. Les Lockspeiser; guild president Sally and Gary Newcomb; Warren and Helen Hanks; Russ and Sally Frerichs; and Frieda and Dr. George Eisenbarth (he is executive director of the Barbara Davis Center) invaded the dance floor to move to the sounds of Boogielicious.
Other guests were Kristi and Peter Wells; Diane Mager and Michael Martin; Jan and Don Rosen; Cathryn and Jim McCloskey; Kristina and Jay Davidson; and Stephanie and Perry Odak. The sparkle at Stephanie’s wrist came from the diamond-encrusted Rolex that was a Valentine’s present from her husband.
Newlyweds Corey and Pam Helm were among the sweetheart couples chairing a valentine-themed benefit for the Barbara Davis Center.
Society editor Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, blogs.denver
Photo by Steve Peterson, Special to The Post
