The Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado has had many fundraisers over the years; none, though, as grand as “La Vie en Rose,” which took 250 guests to Paris for an evening where the champagne flowed, the cuisine was haute,and the entertainment ranged from street performers to the funk and soul sounds of the dance band Jakarta.
Passports and plane rides weren’t necessary for the event planned by an 11-member committee headed by Candy Palazzo. All you needed to do was get yourself to the new Four Seasons Denver, where the ballroom, and its lobby, were decorated with red roses and replicas of such Paris landmarks as the Eiffel Tower.
Gail Pundsack, the foundation’s executive director, said the goal was to raise $120,000 — enough to send 100 children with epilepsy to the Jason Fleishman Summer Camp.
“It’s definitely a bittersweet night for me,” said attorney Craig Fleishman, whose late son, Jason, is the summer camp’s namesake. “I’m very happy that so much money is being raised, but I’m also very sad that Jason is no longer with us.”
Jason, who had epilepsy, attended Battle Mountain High School, where he was student body vice president, and died as the result of an accident shortly after graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont with a 3.3 grade point average. He had planned to become a doctor, specializing in orthopedics.
Ultra-runner Diane Van Deren, diagnosed with epilepsy while pregnant with her third child, was one of the dinner speakers, joining Brooke Gordon, founder of PEARLS (Program Encouraging Active Rewarding Lifestyles), an initiative that will help the Epilepsy Foundation better serve clients whose epilepsy causes them to become depressed; and Carly Stafford, a student at Chatfield High School and member of the foundation’s Youth Council.
Actor Paul Borrillo was master of ceremonies.
Guests included board president Kathy Ashenfelter; U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter and his wife, Nancy; Lori and Lary Weintraub; Ann and Todd Speer; Denise and Steve Apodaca; Lyn and Dr. Michael Schaffer; Gayle and Ed Novak; Brenda and Peter Plowshay; and Jackie Bainbridge, a past chair of the Colorado chapter board who now serves on the board of the national foundation.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
