A name synonymous with hearts and children is Lyn Schaffer. She’s a passionate, and compassionate, supporter of nonprofits, ranging from the American Heart Association and the Kempe Children’s Foundation to The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute and Donor Alliance.
A nurse married to a pediatric cardiologist, Schaffer shares her enthusiasm by chairing events like the Heart Ball and the Little Hearts Luncheon. She’s even doing good when she’s off duty, such as relaxing with neighbors in her Lowry neighborhood.
As the former Air Force base transformed into a housing development and quickly filled with young families and retirees, new friendships formed. For Schaffer, it was an informal group that, four years ago, started meeting every Thursday for tea.
The women celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs and the birth of grandchildren. Which was great. But Schaffer, being who she is, thought it would be a neat idea to take things one step further.
So she asked her new friends if, instead of kicking in for lavish refreshments, they’d be willing to donate $5 a month to the Kempe Therapeutic Preschool. Everyone said “yes,” and the Fairy Godmothers of Lowry was formed. “A giving circle was formed, and we’ve been able to buy things like backpacks and clothes . . . we even were able to send each child and a sibling to the circus.”
Her most cherished memory: the response by one of the preschoolers after slipping into a pair of shoes the Godmothers had purchased for him. “These are my shoes, and no one else’s feet have ever been in them!”
More good stuff
• After 4 1/2 years in North Carolina, clothier Dick Auer and his wife, Norma, have moved back to Denver. They’ve bought in Stapleton to be within walking distance of their grandchildren, but if you think Dick is just sitting around enjoying retirement, guess again. The former retailer has begun his fourth career — in the finance industry. In addition to retail, Dick, a West Point grad, has had careers in the military and in consulting.
• Chopper’s Sports Grill was the setting for a party that Dutchess Scheitler threw in celebration of her parents’ birthdays. Dad Joe Iacino, the retired soft drink bottler who helped make the Denver Broncos’ Orange Crush defense a household name, just turned 95; his wife, Frances, is 94.
• The Shaka Franklin Foundation’s annual Love Our Children Luncheon has become so popular that it has outgrown its former “home,” the Marriott City Center. This year, it’s at the larger Hyatt Regency Convention Center, starting at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
• Manhattan Transfer headlines Saturday’s gala marking the fifth anniversary of the University of Denver’s fabulous Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
Society editor Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson @denverpost.com; also,
