One Great Evening: Gatsby and Kenny G

Volunteers Lupe Reyther and Julie Collett cooed over the opportunity to see Kenny G. And tonight was their night! The artist would soon take the stage as the headline performer at Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation’s 35^th annual Heart of Hearts Gala. Wings Over the Rockies proved the perfect venue for the Gatsby-themed celebration. Indeed, it was a party that could have been thrown by Gatsby himself.

“It’s all exciting,” said Laura Fitch, Director of Events for RMAHF/Centura Health, who was celebrating her 12^th gala. “Every year it gets better and better. There is so much open space here. It’s a huge canvas on which to design the event.”

Go big is easily done at Wings, providing ample room to mix, mingle and decorate. Dramatically tall centerpieces and palm trees filled in the dining area, while the large stage fit the big sound that came from Spinphony, a band of four super-model beautiful virtuosic string players and their DJ. The women rocked violins and a cello, thus earning their description of offering an “elegant, high energy, rock, classical, pop” mix of music. Guests enjoyed naming the artists the band took on: Britney Spears, Pharell Williams, Pachelbel’s Canon, and Led Zeppelin, to name only a few. The Hewit Charitable Trust generously signed on as the evening’s Double Platinum Heart Sponsor and Entertainment Sponsor.

Prior to music there was mystery. The Mystery Boxes proved a popular fundraising draw as guest paid $50, $125 or $250 to pick a box tied to a hidden surprise.

“Sometimes we give people clues, which is fun for all of us,” said RMAHF Director of Annual Giving Cheryl Torres with a playful grin. “If someone hints they’d really like to find jewelry I casually say, ‘Maybe you want to pick from over there,’” referencing a particular spot amongst the nearly 100 boxes. Along with the mystery boxes, the silent auction table beckoned bidders with options on spa days, an array of tools, and other personal high-end items. After individuals claimed their reward, they could “Gift Check” it so they didn’t need to find room around their seat. “This is a great perk,” said one smiling patron handing over an enormous bundled basket.

Lynn and Dr. David Ehrenberger were honored with The Henry M. Porter Award. They are a dynamic duo in medicine. For more than a decade, the pair worked with the Centura Global Health Initiative (GHI) and established “Medicine in Motion,” a mobile clinic providing primary care services to homeless families in Westminster. Their work with GHI has focused on yearly medical mission trips to the Peruvian Amazon basin with teams of Centura associates, nurses and providers. Lynn continues to work at Avista, in both pre-surgical testing and as an employee health nurse, and is on the Avista Adventist Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. Over the past 15 years David has gradually transitioned from private practice to various leadership roles within Centura and, since 2004, he has been the Chief Medical Officer at both Avista and Integrated Physician Network.

The funds raised at the gala support the continued development of the unique breast cancer programs at Avista, Castle Rock, Littleton, Parker and Porter Adventist Hospitals. The funds also will be used to provide continued access to all men and women for high quality breast cancer screenings as well as diagnosis and treatment. Approximately one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and one in 1,000 men will be diagnosed. Nearly 40,000 of those people will die from the disease. Next to lung cancer, breast cancer is the most deadly form of cancer for women.

The mission of the Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation is to raise funds, manage assets, invest endowment funds to maximize their value and administer gift fund accounts in accordance with the donors’ wishes for Avista, Littleton, Parker, & Porter Hospitals and for Porter Hospice.