Colorado Politics told you back in May that Michelle Obama was headed to Denver this week to support a fundraiser for the 30th anniversary of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado.

Tuesday was the big night and more than 8,000 people saw the former first lady at the Pepsi Center, her first public appearance in Colorado since moving out of the White House in January.

The advance media cautioned she wouldn’t pose for pictures or field questions, but fortunately there’s an army of Twitter users that kept us posted, and Mrs. Obama clearly made exceptions.

The foundation called her “a role model, champion, and inspiration for women, families, and young people across America and around the world.”

The first lady saw it from a different perspective.

“I am a strong woman because of other strong women,” Mrs. Obama said in a statement released after the event. “You don’t mother alone, you don’t grandparent alone, you don’t struggle alone. You find your community.”

Mrs. Obama continued, “We forget how strong we are. We’re never reminded. We’re taught subtly and subliminally that our voices are unimportant. Those are the kind of messages that stifle girls’ voices.”

Organizers said afterwards she spoke to the arena of mothers and grandmothers about the importance of “being a positive force in a girl’s life.”

“Tell her every day she is smart and capable and lift her up,” Mrs. Obama stated. “For so many people, the role-models they follow are right in their backyard. It’s their mothers, teachers, siblings, and their fathers and the men around them who every day can lift them up. Don’t underestimate the power of day-to-day motivation and inspiration in a girl’s life.”

The event supports research, public policy advocacy and grants to promote “promise to prosperity” for the state’s women and girls. Its five-year strategic plan aims at economic opportunities for women and their families in Colorado. The foundation singles out helping low-income women earn livable wages to end inter-generational poverty.

The organization says in its most recent annual report it hopes to “provide an end to the impossible choices a woman must make, such as buying healthy food for her children or putting gas in the car so she can make it to work, and makes possible her dreams of saving for and investing in her family’s future.”

The foundation said it invited Mrs. Obama because of her “sustained commitment to creating access to education for girls.” She has uplifted women and girls over adversity, encouraged them toward higher education and better jobs through training.

“Just as we knew she would, Mrs. Obama delivered a moving perspective on how we can all play a role in strengthening our communities by strengthening opportunities for women,” foundation president and CEO Lauren Y. Castee said in a statement. “It was truly a night to remember and inspire.”