Some 300 friends of took a step back into Merry Olde England when they gathered at the Brown Palace Hotel for the 2015 Big Shots Gala.
White gloves and pearls were popular accessories for the fundraiser that began with a silent auction and Champagne sabering ceremony in the hotel lobby.
The latter was a clever means of introducing one of the live auction items: the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to whack the top off a Champagne bottle and pour the bubbly into the 6,000 glasses that are set up in pyramid form for the hotel’s traditional on Nov. 22.
A “town crier” then announced that dinner — pate and pomegranate seeds over baby greens, followed by filet of beef and warm English pudding with Scotch crème Anglaise — awaited in the West Ballroom.
Former Denver Bronco Reggie Rivers was master of ceremonies, keynote speaker and auctioneer. He said he admires BBBS because he recognizes the “incredible power” that one-to-one mentoring has on boys and girls in need of positive role models.
“You empower them, you make them feel important,” he said to an audience that included state Rep. Jovan Melton; David and Nanette Kikumoto; Chris and Audrey Weatherman; Mike and Darla Figoli and Bruce and Heidi Hoyt, who were there with their son, Henry, a Big Brother, and his friend, Cody Lubchenco.
Chief executive officer Dave Ryan and board chair Byron Grandy presented the following awards:
Mittar Khalsa, Big Brother of the Year; Nami Ochoa, Big Sister of the Year; Greg Gidden and Denise Fischer, Sports Buddies Big Brother and Big Sister of the Year; DiAnthony Brown, Little Brother of the Year; Tori Lucero, Little Sister of the Year; and Nationwide Insurance, Big Shot of the Year.
Others helping to raise $150,000 for the cause were Andi Leahey; Steve and Michelle Toltz; Doug and Trish Thomas; Elizabeth Norris; Dave Stalls, the former CEO of BBBS and Big Brother to Nicholas Schubert, the Sports Buddies Little Brother of the Year; and Carina Wilson, a Little Sister who will be attending Grinnell College on a full-ride scholarship, thanks in large part to the positive impact BBBS had on her life.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
A good read
The fourth Vino & Libri raises $210,000 for the Book Trust, a national organization that is based in Denver and works to instill a passion for reading in children. Joanne Davidson has details in the Mile High Style blog .
