We’ve said it before, and we’ll probably say it again: It was Beacon Youth and Family Center’s lucky day when Annabel Bowlen adopted the Englewood agency as her pet charity.
The wife of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen was introduced to Beacon in 1998 and was so impressed with the work it does on behalf of children in crisis that she promptly established the Cherish the Children Guild, persuaded many of her high-profile friends to join, and then breathed new life into Beacon’s annual destination- themed fundraiser, the Cherish the Children Gala.
And today we’re speculating that two of those friends, interior designers Marc Roth and James Pfister, had at least a small role in landing Beacon a $100,000 grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The funds are earmarked for the center’s new Crisis Connection Program.
Monica Colbert, Beacon’s director of development, says she can’t confirm or deny any influence Roth and Pfister may have had. “The statement (issued by) the Helmsley Trust is all we are authorized to publicize about the grant,” she says.
But those who know Roth and Pfister know that Leona Helmsley had been a longtime client, and it’s entirely possible that the Denver duo had shared their enthusiasm for Beacon with the hotel magnate prior to her death in 2007.
Executive director Mike Guthrie says Beacon’s Crisis Connection Program was launched last April in response to the need for quality treatment for adolescents experiencing a mental-health crisis. “Before CCP,” he says, “children experiencing severe emotional distress such as assaultive or suicidal behavior were typically taken to a hospital emergency room. (But) the care received at the hospital does not involve long-term treatment that addresses what provoked the crisis, nor does it mandate treatment for the entire family — from which the problem often originates. Additionally, hospital treatment is very expensive.”
Beacon’s trained and licensed staff, Guthrie adds, “Is available 2 4/7/365 to visit emergency rooms or anywhere a child is in distress. The child is stabilized and evaluated, and a customized, long-term treatment plan is devised.”
Plans for the 2011 Cherish the Children Gala, “Passport to Hope,” were discussed when the guild had its annual meeting at the Bowlen home. It will be May 7 at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center, with Roth and Pfister in charge of decor.
The annual meeting also was the occasion for retiring president Sharon Sweeney to pass the gavel to Edna Chang-Grant.
On Feb. 2, Neiman Marcus Cherry Creek is the location for Share the Love, a luncheon benefiting Beacon Center and Mountain2Mountain. For details, call 303-761-6756.
Coming right up.
Romanian-born artist Alexandra Nechita, once dubbed “the petite Picasso,” is having a show of her works at Fascination St. Fine Art in Cherry Creek North this week. On Friday, owner Aaron LaPedis is hosting a VIP party with the artist. A percentage of sales will be donated to the Ponzio Creative Arts Therapy Program at Children’s Hospital; for details, call 303-333-1566. . . . The Girls Inc. Alliance on Feb. 3 is having its annual outreach bash — Membership, Margaritas & Mojitos — at the new MAX boutique, 264 Detroit St. It starts at 5 p.m. and co-chairs Katie and Melinda Dark say there will be informal modeling and a chance to win a handbag donated by owner Max Martinez. Register at . . . . Same night: Cocktails for a Cure, a benefit for the AMC Cancer Fund. Guest bartenders Kevin Burke (Colt and Gray), Sean Kenyon (Squeaky Bean), Randy Layman (Steuben’s) and Anika Zappe (Root Down) will be pouring their specialties from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Soiled Dove Underground in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood, according to co-chairs Stacy Carpenter and Kathy Odle Kortz. Sign up at .
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
