23rd Annual Bayaud Enterprises Luncheon

Overcoming disabilities and life’s challenges was the theme of Bayaud Enterprises’ 23rd Annual MacDonald Family Tribute Luncheon held Wed, May 6 at the Sheraton Downtown with a packed ballroom of more than 325 guests. The keynote speaker was Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken-Rouen who kept guests chuckling and inspired for easily more than an hour followed with a standing ovation.

The event theme–“Hope, Opportunity and Choice”–flowed throughout the afternoon and reflected the mission of Bayaud Enterprises, a 46-year-old Denver non-profit dedicated to finding work for people with disabilities and other barriers to meaningful work.

Bayaud Executive Director David Henninger thanked guests and sponsors including premiere or Sponsors of Hope: Pat and Janet Wiesner; Sponsors of Opportunity: Ernst and Young, Graham and Cathy Hollis, KeyBank, Rose Pediatrics, Tom and Allison Sandler, and Sheridan Ross PC.

Henninger then introduced and praised the six award winners of the 2015 Tribute Awards in four categories. Every spring Bayaud recognizes individuals and companies who support Bayaud throughout the year.

Donald G. MacDonald Volunteers of the Year: James Boyce and Lauren Kaptain

Van Bruce MacDonald Employee of the Year: Lonnie Schwindt and Susan Williams Robinson

Employer of the Year: Sage Hospitality (accepted by Kathleen Bates, Erica Endorf and Heather Martin)

Later after lunch, 9News Anchor Mark Koebrich introduced six-time Olympic swimming champion Van Dyken-Rouen best known for winning four Olympic medals in Atlanta in 1996 and two in Sydney, Australia in 2000.

Van Dyken-Rouen described her career path as a young awkward asthmatic teen to the agony of missing her first potential Olympics by one-thousandth of a second. She also recounted the fateful day two summers ago in 2014 when she severed her spine in an all-terrain vehicle accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. But the smiling and effervescent Olympian insists to her doctors and the public that she expects to walk again. In fact, the wheelchair-bound champion said she expects to be fitted with leg braces and is pursuing a dedicated physical regimen that may make that a reality soon.

Her defiant mantra–“Who do you think you are to tell me what I can or can’t do?”–has become a popular refrain for her many appearances around the country and one that has motivated her since childhood.

Van Dyken-Rouen’s relentless optimism with a foundation of hard work and persistence illustrates the mission of Bayaud’s own goals of promoting economic self-sufficiency, independence, personal health and well-being, and improved quality of life for individuals with disabilities, families experiencing homelessness, and the community.

Created in 1969, Bayaud has provided job training, employment services and vocational support to more than 7,000 people with mental, emotional and physical disabilities over the years. With its current work force of 200 and $7.4 million operating budget, Bayaud has been able to expand its reach to include homeless and low-income individuals and families.

For more information visit bayaudenterprises.org