The Broncos’ victory in Super Bowl 50 wasn’t the only cause for celebration last Sunday. Cheers also went up when the team that produced Kaleidoscope IV: A Weekend of Luxury, Relaxation and Inspiration realized that a record $375,000 had been raised.
The money goes to the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation and the help it provides for families faced with unexpected expenses related to their child’s hospitalization.
Dr. Reginald Washington, chief medical officer at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, explained that gifts awarded by the foundation help defray costs that range from mortgage or rent payments to infant car seats and other essentials for babies who entered the world before they were expected.
“Almost 40 percent of our patients come from outside the area,” he said, “and all too often what starts off as a sore throat or a cold turns into something that involves a long hospital stay.
“Your support,” Washington added, “means families don’t have to choose between paying their monthly rent and purchasing food for their sick child. It also means that thousands of fragile infants in neonatal intensive care units will receive precious donor human milk and other vital services. And, it also means that several children with serious medical conditions will be matched with loving companion dogs.”
Chaired by Maureen Tarrant, president/CEO of Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, and Sarah Treadway, principal at Stout Street Hospitality/Magnolia Hotels, Kaleidoscope is a weekend-long event held at the Ritz-Carlton Denver.
Guests check in on Saturday afternoon to enjoy spa services and a wine tasting before slipping into black-tie attire for a cocktail reception and five-course dinner with Wente Vineyards wine pairings. They also are treated to an overnight stay at the hotel and a champagne brunch on Sunday.
Co-chair Sarah Treadway and her husband, Shea, became acquainted with the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation when their first-born, Horace, spent 18 days in neonatal intensive care and received nourishment courtesy of the Mother’s Milk Bank. Horace is now 15 months old and thriving, Sarah Treadway said. In June, she is expected to give birth to the couple’s second child.
While many of the guests stayed up late to dance to music by the Kaleidoscope Jazz Quartet and DJ Desire, three who turned in early were Maureen Tarrant and her husband, John, and Quinn Washington. They were due to catch a 7 a.m. flight to San Francisco for Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Maureen McDonald, there with hubby David Baker, was introducing her new boss at Kaiser Permanente, Nancy Wollen, who became acting market president following predecessor Donna Lynne’s promotion to higher office in the health care organization.
The evening’s live auction, which brought in $125,000, had a novel twist. Instead of bidding on a specific item, guests could contribute at price points ranging from $5,000 to $250 and then be eligible to win prizes that ranged from a seven-night stay at an Inspirato resort in Punta de Mita, Mexico, to a two-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Denver with dinner at Elway’s.
Others taking part in the fun-filled weekend were winemaker Phil Wente; Sylvia Young, president/CEO of HealthONE’s continental division; retired MillerCoors CEO Leo Kiely and his wife, Susan; Dan Ritchie, chairman of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; pathologist Shalini Chahaland her husband, Mintoo; Don and Mary Lou Kortz; Adele and Dr. Erwin Gelfand; Taylor and Molly Kirkpatrick; vascular surgeon Alan Synn and his wife, Lisa; Luanne Williams, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, and her husband, Arvada Mayor Marc Williams; and two sets of parents who described the help they received following the hospitalization of their children: Jason Berge and Marcy Murphy and Aaron and Erin Anderson.
