The one thing you never want to forget to bring to a Make-A-Wish Colorado fundraiser?
A packet of tissues.
Because you’re going to need them.
Isaac Slade and Joe King from The Fray were the headliners for Wish Night 2018: A Night Among the Stars but even they had to admit that their stellar set paled by comparison to appearances by several Denver-area Wish Kids, youngsters whose lives have been impacted by life-challenging illnesses.
Logan Castleton, a 13-year-old student at Denver School of the Arts, for example, wowed the audience with his piano skills. Vocalist Amber McKenzie, also 13, delivered a powerful rendition of “Fight Song,” a personal anthem that she also plans to sing for passengers when her wish to take a Disney cruise is fulfilled.
Becca Tuska has to be on a feeding tube for 22 hours a day, and spends her two-hour break pursuing her passion for dance. On Wish Night, she and her Be Brave Becca dance troupe — her brother, Tyler; her best friend, Bethany Violett; and Liam Teagarden, brother of Wish Kid Maddie Teagarden — danced as Slade and King sang their popular “You Found Me.”
Slade and King then joined cancer survivor McKenna Wilburn for a rendition of The Fray’s signature tune, “How to Save a Life.”
Eight-year-old leukemia survivor Gabby Kovach brought down the house by illustrating how much fun she was having with her wish: how to be famous. Her dream of being pursued by autograph seekers and paparazzi has been carried out over the past several months with events that include arriving in a pink limousine for a meet-and-greet party at the Hard Rock Café and an Epic Bash with family and friends. The hashtag that she created, #MakeGabbyFamous, has gone viral, with messages of support coming in from around the world.
Make-A-Wish Colorado, founded by Joan Mazak, is in its 35th year and is one of the oldest Make-A-Wish chapters in the country. It recently granted its 5,000th wish.
Planned by a 13-member committee that included Patti Forsythe, the chapter’s director of events; George Barker; Joi Ohara; Caitie Neice and Regan Matthews, the dinner event was held at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center and emceed by Jason Gruenauer. The Emmy-winning reporter for Denver7 News first got involved with Make-A-Wish in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., when a friend working at the Western New York chapter needed a Prince Charming to add authenticity to a little girl’s wish to be a princess for a day.
Mazak, who continues as Make-A-Wish Colorado’s president/CEO, and board chair Cory Tipton circulated during the silent auction social to welcome such valued supporters as former Denver Broncos Billy Thompson and Larry Brunson; Rich and Sue Jones; Kenneth and Marilynn Carroll; Bill and Dana Myers (a 10-year member of the Make-A-Wish Colorado board of directors, he currently serves as the group’s treasurer); attorney Justin Vaughn, also a member of the Make-A-Wish board, and his wife, Anita; and the evening’s auctioneer, Sean Allen, who brought in big money for items that included a snowboard and competition bid autographed by Olympic gold medalist Shaun White; two seats from the original Mile High Stadium with two tickets to a 2018-2019 Denver Broncos home game; and a luxury Vail getaway with transportation to and from in a Bentley Betayga on loan from Ferrari of Denver; deluxe accommodations at the Four Seasons Vail and dinners at Matsuhisa and Sweet Basil.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, partiwriter@hotmail.com and @joannedavidson on Twitter
