Once upon a time there was a splendid party. It was called Fractured Fairytales and it made a record $48,000 for Mt. Evans Hospice in Evergreen.
Three elves — Pam Reitan and Dale and Peggy Fetchenhier — had spent much of the day transforming Mount Vernon Country Club into an enchanted kingdom complete with hand-painted fairy-tale characters and murals, twinkly lights, a full-size gingerbread house and a wishing well.
Many of the revelers played up the “fractured” aspect of the benefit’s theme. A Big Bad Wolf, for example, showed up in a black leather jacket; a distinctly feminine frog didn’t turn into a prince when kissed by her cross-dressing “princess”; and a sprightly Pinocchio marionette danced at the end of strings guided by an invisible puppeteer.
Mount Vernon’s chef presented a meal fit for royalty. Following an array of hearty hors d’oeuvres served during cocktail hour, guests sat down to dine on grilled steak, coconut shrimp and asparagus bundles, with “Rocky & Bullwinkle” mousse for dessert.
A silent auction with 160 items that ranged from fine art to fishing trips and facials to footballs (including one signed by Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler) preceded a live auction called by Mt. Evans board member Greg Dobbs, an international journalist and HDNet anchor.
Dobbs also donated one of the most popular items: a chance to view a space shuttle launch from the media site at Kennedy Space Center. The high bidder was Curt Harris, who is there now with his family to cash in on the prize. Another hotly contested item was the chance to serve as Tawnya Rush’s cooking assistant for an episode of 9News’ Colorado & Co. Mt. Evans board member Steve Browne bought it for his daughter, aspiring chef Kristin May.
A special appeal to provide scholarships for Camp Comfort, Mt. Evans’ weekend-long bereavement camp for children, brought in $20,000.
The record profit left Mt. Evans executive director Louisa Walthers feeling “amazed and grateful, especially in light of the current economic situation.”
The money helps Mt. Evans Hospice and Home Health Care provide end-of-life care for underinsured or uninsured patients, as well as grief counseling, transportation and respite care.
On the move.
Two women with a wealth of nonprofit experience behind them are striking out on their own to form businesses that showcase their organizational and fundraising talents. Felicia Diamond, founder and former executive director of the Diana Price Fish Foundation, retired as Howard Dental Center’s chief executive about a month ago and sat in her rocking chair just long enough to get Felicia L. Diamond Consulting up and running. It specializes in grant writing, organizational assessments and evaluations, and strategic planning. Jan Blankennagel, with 20 years experience in retail special-event planning, is leaving Macy’s in late April to re-establish her JTB Events Inc.
Society editor Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@ ; also,
