Anchor Center celebrates 2026 Sunset in the City

The power of perseverance was the theme of this year’s Sunset in the City fundraising gala benefiting the Anchor Center for Blind Children. Who better to share that inspirational message than Erik Weihenmayer—a motivational speaker, author, and the first blind person to scale Mount McKinley.

Established to support young children with visual impairments in reaching their highest potential, the Anchor Center celebrates its special 30th Anniversary Sunset in the City Gala.

As in years past the co-emcees were meteorologist Danielle Grant of 7News and 9News anchor Steve Saeger brought their energy and good-natured banter to the party held at ReelWorks in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.

Keynote speaker Erik Weihenmayer shared his own journey through blindness including childhood stories and a slide show of his outdoor adventures. Dinner was provided by ( ) and silent and live auctions were followed by presentations by parents of Anchor alumni. Special thanks to Visionary Sponsors the Yaron Family and Champion Sponsors, Cheryl and Bruce Blankenship.

“This impact reaches far beyond a child’s years at Anchor Center,” according to Executive Director Meghan Klassen. “We see it in our alumni as they enter school, advocate for themselves, pursue their interests, compete in athletics, build careers, and contribute to their communities. e skills being developed in our classrooms today become the foundation for opportunities years into the future.”

Weihenmayer’s perseverance and self-confidence best describes the Anchor Center’s mission. Today, at 57, he has distilled his belief system into his third book– No Barriers, a children’s book describing his most challenging mountain climbs and rafting through the Grand Canyon’s treacherous white waters.

In “No Barriers” he said he wanted to let kids know their dreams are possible and that barriers are meant to be broken. Weihenmayer lost his sight completely at the age of 14 due to a rare genetic disorder called juvenile retinoschisis. Nonetheless, he learned to persevere. He credits his Marine Corps father with teaching him not to give up. As a youngster just starting to lose his vision he would jump his bike off a ramp in Evel Knievel daredevil style, but became angry and frustrated when he could not distinguish between the pavement and wooden ramp. Not wanting his son to give up, his father painted the ramp a bright fluorescent orange to guide the way. That day the young teen learned the No Barriers mindset. His father could have easily stopped the bike jumping, he said, but instead created a solution to break that barrier—creating a bright beacon to guide the way.

In 2001 he became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. And in 2002 he became one of only about 150 climbers to have completed the Seven Summits—the highest mountains on each continent including Denali and Kilimanjaro. Despite those mountain climbs he said his most terrifying life experiences was to solo kayak the thunderous whitewater of the Grand Canyon.

Weihenmayer thanked the Anchor Center for their groundbreaking work and urged the audience of guests and supporters to “Keep Climbing”

Founded in 1982 by a librarian from the Colorado Library for the Blind and the local Delta Gamma alumnae chapter, the first class included four pre-school students and six homebound infants. Today, the organization serves more than 195 children annually while providing support and education to families, siblings and caregivers.

For more information visit anchorcenter.org