There isn’t a single good thing to say about Huntington’s Disease, an inheirited and progressively degenerative brain disorder for which there is no cure. There are, however, many nice things to say about Music & Movement, the 12th annual Celebration of Hope hosted by Rocky Mountain chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
Starting with the entertainment.
Because movement is one of the first things impacted by Huntington’s, gala organizers decided to put the emphasis on dance.
The Murphy Dance Troupe alternated with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance for a program that was both energetic and inspiring while giving the 170 guests an idea of the loss Huntington’s patients experience as their disease progresses.
Music & Movement also featured silent and live auctions and dinner by Continental Divine, a catering company that’s part of the K-M Concessions network of food companies.
K-M is owned by Kevin and Mary McNicholas and she also served as the gala’s auction coordinator. Son Sean McNicholas was there, too, with former Miss Rodeo Colorado Audra Dobbs. They’ve been a couple for the past two years, and just days after the gala, Sean and Audra flew to Paris, where he popped the question as they picnicked beside the Eiffel Tower.
She said yes, and they returned to Denver in time for a champagne celebration at his parents’ Labor Day barbecue.
Between dinner and the start of a live auction called by Doug Tisdale, the Huntington’s society honored Matthew Perea as its Person of the Year.
He lost his mother and grandfather to Huntington’s; his sister, Amanda Archuleta, is “gene positive.”
Guests included Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe; John Tobey; Virginia Bray and her mother, Alma; Quinn Washington; Jay Villa; Jeri Hyland; Alice Hinkle; Dahlia Weinstein; and board president Kathleen Bates.
Coming right up
A fundraiser to help Denver firefighter Walter Salazar, paralyzed in a June 12 motorcycle accident that took the life of his wife, Trish, begins at 6 p.m. today at Spill Lounge, 1410 Market St. The accident happened in rural Texas as the Salazars were on their way back to Colorado after a week volunteering at the Dallas Burn Camp for Children. Learn more by visiting Freedom for a Firefighter on Facebook. . . . Also tonight: “A Filipino Night to Remember,” featuring Leo Patalinghug, a priest, entertainer and chef from Baltimore who defeated Bobby Flay on the Food Network’s “Throwdown! With Bobby Flay.” It’s a benefit for Infanta Central School in the Philippines and is being held at St. Thomas More Church. Call Mila Glodava, 303-221-9240. . . . Big Bill’s New York Pizza, 8243 S. Holly in Centennial, is having its annual 9/11 Day of Giving all day Saturday; pies and soft drinks are yours in exchange for a donation to the JoAnn B. Ficke Cancer Foundation. . . . A John Fielder photo mural created for the youth psychiatric unit under construction at Denver Health Medical Center will be unveiled when the Level One Society hosts a block party outside the Governor’s Mansion on Sept. 14. Co-chairs Kasia Iwaniczko, Greg Bogdan, Laura English and Mike Ferrufino say there’ll be wine from Balistreri Vineyards, appetizers from LaLa’s and music by Sean Kelley of The Samples. An RSVP to LevelOneSociety@dhha.org is required. Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter will be the special guest for a Sept. 18 dinner that celebrates the Asian Pacific Development Center’s 30th anniversary. It’s at the Arvada Center; .
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
