(DENVER — April 14, 2022) – The Spring Brass Ring Luncheon & Fashion Show benefiting The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (BDC), took place on Tuesday, April 12^th at the Hilton Denver City Center. The event welcomed over 600 attendees and raised more than $409,000 through ticket sales, sponsorships, live and silent auctions, and special appeal. Master of ceremonies, Dominic Garcia from CBS4, led the event with presentations from Guild President, Lori Finch; Event Chairperson, Gina Abou-Jaoude; and featured designer, Lourdes Chavez, who showcased over 50 looks during the fashion show. BDC type 1 heroes were celebrated with a standing ovation, including Keller Sears, who opened the event with a prayer, and Annie Williams, who was featured with her family in a video highlight.

Before entering the ballroom, attendees placed bids on a variety of items in the silent auction including hotel stays, event tickets, spa packages, art pieces, shopping sprees, and signature Spring Brass Ring baskets. A Wine Pull and Dine N’ Dash restaurant gift cards were also available for purchase, as well as pre-loved pieces from Jewels for Hope and Handbags for Hope. Inside the ballroom attendees enjoyed lunch while auctioneer, Halie Behr, presented the live auction items: an extravagant Denver date night; a week-long stay for 12 in Watercolor, Florida; diamond and white gold earrings from Trice Jewelers; and lunch and wine for 12 from celebrity chef, Troy Guard and Napa’s VGS Château Potelle. These four live auction items raised over $35,000 alone.

During the special appeal, attendees raised their paddles to make donations ranging from $500 to $50,000. At each donation tier, Halie highlighted what that dollar amount could do for a person with type 1. There was an extremely generous donation of $50,000, which will be used in beta cell research to find a cure for type 1. A $10,000 donation provides a closed loop pancreas system for a single person. A single $5,000 donation pays for depression screenings for a quarter of BDC patients, which is critical for mental wellbeing because people with type 1 are two times more likely to experience depression. A $2,500 donation covers a continuous glucose monitor and supplies for one pregnancy. $1,000 pays for one month of insulin, and $500 covers average travel costs to BDC for one year. In total, special appeal donations exceeded $200,000.

Featured fashion designer, Lourdes Chavez, closed the event with over 50 different looks from her New York Fashion Week 2021 Fall Collection which included suits, sets, separates, dresses, and gowns for women. Lourdes has her own line of semi-custom garments produced in L.A. and available locally at Dan Sharp Luxury in Cherry Creek. She designs some of her own fabrics and uses unique and luxury fabrics from around Europe. Nancy Sevo kicked off the show, followed by Judy McNeil and Lisa Corley. These three special models have all played critical roles at The Guild and in the type 1 community for years. In addition, Annabel Bowlen and Maria Suehnholz joined the previous set of special local models on the runway. Additional models came from Wilhelmina Denver, and hair and makeup were provided by Gina Comminello and team from THE LOOK Cherry Creek. The fashion show was produced by Charlie Price.

The ‘brass ring’ in Spring Brass Ring symbolizes the overarching goal of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the BDC to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. The Guild is the auxiliary volunteer group of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the BDC. The Guild’s mission is to raise funds for research, promote diabetes awareness and education, assist families in need, provide continuing education scholarships, and sponsor social activities for children and their families. The Guild includes more than 300 members who are dedicated to fundraising in the tireless fight against diabetes.

The premier sponsors of the 44^th Annual Spring Brass Ring are Cigna and The Crazy Merchant, Inc., with supporting sponsorship by The Corley Legacy Foundation; Greer Law, LLC; Steve, Shelley, Lynnie & Kenny Lucas; Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management; NexGen Resources; Sterling Ranch; and Acrobat by Foley Family Wines. The Spring Brass Ring’s official media sponsor is Colorado Expression.

For more information about the event visit https://www.childrensdiabetesfoundation.org/event/spring-brass-ring-2022/

For general questions, please contact 303-863-1200 or cdfcares@childrensdiabetesfoundation.org.

Event Hashtag:          #SpringBrassRing and #SBR2022

Website:                     ChildrensDiabetesFoundation.org

Facebook:                  Children’s Diabetes Foundation

Twitter:                       @CDFdiabetes

Instagram:                   @cdfdiabetes