In 2006, when the Denver Scholarship Foundation was in its formative stages, Cindy Abramson’s phone rang.
Tom and Noey Congdon were on the line, calling to let Abramson, the DSF’s founding executive director, know that they were so impressed with DSF’s mission of helping students from the Denver Public Schools attend college or a trade school that they were prepared to make a significant donation.
That phone call turned out to be DSF’s lucky day, recalled DSF board chair Cathey Finlon. Speaking at the 2015 ed.gala, at which the Congdons were honored, Finlon went on to say that the couple’s initial gift was not their last.
“Their spirit of generosity and their good works are enduring,” Finlon said. “They encourage our scholars, attend various meetings and continue their quiet philanthropy by giving without fanfare.” Tom Congdon is the retired chairman of St. Mary Land and Exploration Co. and with his wife is active in supporting such organizations as the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Colorado Rocky Mountain School.
The gala, which raised $1.3 million, also included a talk by John Quiñones, the Emmy-winning co-anchor of ABC-TV’s “Primetime” and host of the limited series “What Would You Do?” Quiñones began by sharing how remarks from DSF alumni Evan Romero, who now is an auditor at the accounting firm Ernst & Young, and Dymond Ruybal, a program assistant at National Jewish Health, had resonated with him.
“Their words touched me deeply because I was once in their shoes. It was a long, hard struggle for me to get where I am today.”
Finlon chaired the gala with fellow board member Don Silversmith, and the 900 guests included presenting sponsors Mike and Patty Starzer; Gov. John Hickenlooper; Dorothy Horrell, chancellor-elect of the University of Colorado Denver; Eddie Koen, executive director of College Track Colorado; philanthropist Janet Mordecai; former Colorado Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien; and Nate Easley, the DSF’s current chief executive.
