St. Jude Glamour & Giving — truly, the ultimate girls’ night out — was a huge success, raising $75,000 for the groundbreaking research and treatment offered without charge to children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Two hundred women shopped, supped and treated themselves to hair and make-up touch-ups, courtesy of stylists from Matthew Morris Salon & Skincare, before enjoying a runway show of fashions from such Larimer Square boutiques as Frinje, Cry Baby Ranch, Moda Man, Gusterman’s, Hailee Grace, Blush, Blue Ruby, Eve, Goorin Bros., Scarpaletto and John Fluevog.
Larimer Square was the presenting sponsor of this fundraiser held at the Ritz-Carlton Denver, and was represented by marketing director Radhika Mahanty.
A couple of men did show up for Glamour & Giving: FOX-31’s Everyday Show co-host Chris Parente, the fundraiser’s master of ceremonies, and firefighter Scott Richardson, who helped auctioneer Tamara Whelpley snare a top bid of $700, from Rhonda Valladares, for the chance to spend a day with Richardson’s colleagues in the South Metro Department.
Parente, who had lost a nephew to acute myeloid leukemia, also introduced JD Dreamer of Rifle, whose daughter, Ella, is apparently cancer-free following treatment for adrenocortical carcinoma, a cancer that affects just one in 3.3 million children and has an average survival rate of 20-35 percent.
Dreamer said her daughter was diagnosed in 2010 and underwent grueling chemotherapy at St. Jude. It appeared to have been successful, but the cancer reappeared in late 2011. Ella returned to St. Jude, where her doctor recommended an experimental treatment that involved 42 days of radiation to the tumor bed.
When Ella had her one-year checkup in January, there was no sign that the cancer had returned.
Ella, said her mother, “Is the strongest, bravest little girl that I know. We are so thankful for the doctors at St. Jude.”
Others supporting the cause were attorneys Jessica Alizadeh and Cynthia Treadwell; Decibel Marketing’s Barbara Brooks; vocalist Callie Belo; Kelly Hancock; Debra Havins; Monica Treese and planning committee members Danielle Atcheson, Alana Berland, Lauren Crist-Fulk, Camille Gerard, Lacey Hall, Dana Jakelich, Kristen Knutson Jansen, Stephanie Landin, Ali Pilkington and Jordon Strohl.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, partiwriter@hotmail.com and @joannedavidson on Twitter
