CHILDREN’S DIABETES FOUNDATION

Aurora

News: Thanks to spring break vacations, the 46th Spring Brass Ring Luncheon didn’t have quite the crowd it usually does. Still, with a respectable attendance of 500, the March 21 event was as elegant, meaningful, and financially successful as it always was.

Net income was still being tallied at press time, but this much is known: The four items up for bid in an auction called by Halie Behr, along with the traditional paddle raise, exceeded its $150,000 goal by $50,000, bringing in $200,000 for the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.

And that’s not counting the “sweep,” where those wishing to give at the $250 level handed their bid cards to the volunteers dashing from table to table. Or the donations coming in from a QR code set up for the occasion.

The final tally included income from sponsorships, table and individual ticket sales, silent auction results and proceeds from items purchased at Jewels for Hope/Handbags for Hope tables.

Items in the silent auction included 84 themed baskets assembled by Judy McNeil, Christy Alberts, Susie Hummell and Cindi Martin. McNeil, a past chair of the Brass Ring Luncheon and former president of The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation said it took a caravan of seven cars to transport the baskets from her Cherry Hills Village home to the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel.

Once they arrived at the hotel, McNeil said, “We had to unload quickly” because the entry to the loading dock opens to a heavily trafficked RTD bus lane, and “We needed to clear the lane before another bus came along.”

Carol Hamer and Amie Morozs, who had chaired the 2023 Brass Ring Luncheon, reprised their roles for 2024, where the spring collection from Lafayette 148 New York was featured in the noontime fashion show and produced by Charlie Price. Eva Schoonmaker marked her third year as the Presenting Sponsor, while CBS News Colorado anchor Michael Spencer put in his second year as master of ceremonies.

Hamer, a Colorado native and Lakewood resident, became involved with the Children’s Diabetes Foundation in 2005 when her niece was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She volunteers with several charitable organizations, including The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, where she is treasurer elect.

Morozs, also a Lakewood resident, is a Realtor whose interest in supporting diabetes research and care began 14 years ago when her daughter became friends with a child who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 18 months. Within a few years, that circle of friends grew to include seven children and a handful of adults, all Type 1 diabetics.

Diabetes, Spencer noted, is a “Difficult and confusing disease” that requires diligence 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

“Our hope,” Morozs said, is “For a future (Brass Ring) chairman to stand here and say diabetes is preventable and curable.”

About the organization: The Children’s Diabetes Foundation is the fundraising and awareness-building arm of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes. The Center, located on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, was established by Barbara and the late billionaire Marvin Davis after their daughter, Dana, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 7. Today it is a world leader in diabetes research, treatment, and education. Dana Davis is executive director of the Foundation and Foxfield resident Lori Finch is president of The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation. The Brass Ring Luncheon is The Guild’s signature event.

Website: childrensdiabetesfoundation.org

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