GLOBAL DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION

Denver

News: They can act, but did you know that a cavalcade of Hollywood celebrities, including Rob Lowe (St. Elmo’s Fire, The West Wing and 9-1-1 Lonestar); John C. McGinley (Scrubs); Laura Linney (The Big C, Love Actually), and “Grey’s Anatomy” cast members Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amanda Shepherd), Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt), Anthony Hill (Dr. Winston Ndugu) and Jake Borelli (Dr. Levi Schmitt) also know how to work a fashion runway?

They can.

And they did, on Nov. 18, when they came to Denver to take part in the 15th Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. They joined professional models Beverly Johnson and Amanda Booth, 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Terrell Davis, and Max Carver from “Desperate Housewives” as celebrity escorts for the 2023 Global Down Syndrome Ambassadors as they skipped, twirled and danced on the fashion runway. The Ambassadors were 21 young men and women with Down syndrome who every day demonstrate that they’re not merely surviving Down syndrome. They are thriving.

Philanthropist Luisa Law and developer/interior designer Amanda Precourt chaired this dinner and auction that brought 1,400 guests to the Sheraton Denver Downtown and raised $2.5 million for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

The evening also included presentation of the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award to director/producer Bobby Farrelly, who with his brother, Peter, produced such iconic comedies as Dumb & Dumber, There’s Something About Mary and Champions. Also receiving an Exceptional Advocacy Award was Madison Tevlin, a Canadian-born singer and actress with Down syndrome. She became a worldwide sensation at age 12 when her cover of John Legend’s “All of Me” went viral. She also stars with Woody Harrelson in the Bobby Farrelly-produced film Champions.

Farrelly was honored for his efforts to cast differently abled actors in his films.

“We were doing this long before inclusion was a politically correct thing,” Farrelly said. “We cast people who are differently abled because those are the kids my brother and I grew up with. I’ve worked with Oscar winners and other great actors, but none of them have lit up the screen like my fellow awardee, Madison.”

And besides, he added, “Being typical is overrated, anyway.”

The 15th Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show was dedicated to the memory of Anna Sie, who with her husband, John, the founder and chairman of Starz Entertainment Group, established the Global Down Syndrome Foundation following the birth of their granddaughter, Sophia Whitten, who has Down syndrome.

“Anna Sie once told me she was put on this earth to help her granddaughter and all who have Down syndrome,” Law said. “Then she said she was mistaken. That Sophia had been put on this earth to save her (Anna). Let’s make Anna proud tonight.”

Today, Sophia is an active 20-year-old student at Regis University who continues to bring joy to her family: brother Patrick and parents Tom and foundation president Michelle Sie Whitten.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen were among the guests, joining a crowd that also included Children’s Diabetes Foundation executive director Dana Davis; Denver Zoo’s chief executive Bert Vescolani; Ernie and Sharon Magness Blake; retired Colorado Bankers Association CEO Don Childears and his wife, Linda, the former president/CEO of the Daniels Fund; artist William Matthews and his wife, Laura Barton; Ralph Klomp, retired owner of Trice Jewelers, and his wife, Anne; and, the evening’s emcees, Mark Koebrich and Kim Christiansen.

About the organization: The Denver-based Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. It was established in 2009 by John and the late Anna Sie, following the birth of their first granddaughter, who has Down syndrome. Its primary focus is to support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus, which is the nation’s first academic facility committed solely to research and medical care for people with Down syndrome. Its groundbreaking research has led to breakthroughs in the direct connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.

Website: globaldownsyndrome.org

Have news or announcements for the Nonprofit Register? Email nonprofits@coloradopolitics.com and include a contact name and number if more information is needed.