CHILDREN’S DIABETES FOUNDATION

Denver

News: Virtual events certainly had their place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. And now that things have settled down a bit, in-person gatherings are surging in popularity.

Case in point: the Spring Brass Ring Luncheon & Fashion Show, the 2022 edition of which brought 600-plus friends of The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation to the Denver Hilton City Center on Tuesday to raise a significant amount for the research and patient services at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes. The exact amount is still being determined, thanks to online donations that are still being received, but is believed to be in the mid-six figures.

Chaired by Gina Abou-Jaoude, whose son, Dominic, has Type 1 diabetes, the event was highlighted by a runway show that featured the luxurious designs of Lourdes Chavez. Eva Schoonmaker was the presenting sponsor and CBS4 anchor Dominic Garcia was master of ceremonies.

Chavez’s clothing can be found locally at Dan Sharp Luxury in Cherry Creek North, and the show’s producer, Charlie Price, asked several of Sharp’s clients to model. They included Annabel Bowlen, daughter of the late Pat Bowlen, who had owned the Denver Broncos; Nancy Sevo; Lisa Corley and Judy McNeil.

A past president of The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and former chair of the Spring Brass Ring, McNeil was recently honored as a 7 Everyday Hero for her work in assembling the nearly 100 gift baskets that were part of the silent auction that preceded lunch. “We finally have our basement back,” chuckled McNeil’s husband, Charlie, the CEO of NexGen Resources, when asked to comment on his wife’s selection.

Among the guests were lobbyist Maria Garcia Berry; former Lone Tree City Councilwoman Susan Squyer; Sharon Magness Blake; Christi Isenberg, founder of Amp the Cause and wife of Sage Hospitality Group CEO Walter Isenberg; Lola Salazar, president of the Salazar Family Foundation; Robin Wise, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain; Harold, Diane and Brock Smethills, the founders and developers of Sterling Ranch; Shelley and Steve Lucas (he’s the CEO of iCIMS, the world’s leading talent cloud company); and Juanita Chacon, a broker associate with RE/MAX Alliance Central. Chacon formerly served as an RTD director, a commissioner for the Denver Urban Renewal Authority and as past chair of the State Housing Board.

Guild president Lori Finch also welcomed supporters that included Kasia Iwaniczko-MacLeod, a vice president with Premier Sponsor Cigna; Katie Grassby, who will succeed Fox as president of The Guild; Kate Kiker, the auction coordinator; Toby Pippin, who launched responses to the special appeal with a $50,000 gift; and Jay Mills, whose Jay’s Valet operated the complimentary shuttle that transported guests to and from the Ball Center parking lot to the Denver Hilton City Center.

About the organization: The Barbara Davis Center, located on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, was founded by Barbara and the late Marvin Davis after their then-7-year-old daughter, Dana, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Today, Dana Davis is executive director of The Children’s Diabetes Foundation, the fundraising and awareness-building arm of the Barbara Davis Center. The center is one of the nation’s leading diabetes research organizations and serves patients from around the world.

Website: childrensdiabetesfoundation.org

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