Lenny Kravitz rocks the Carousel Ball »
So many good things happened at the 31st Carousel Ball.
It raised $1.65 million for the Barbara Davis Center’s work to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. The evening’s special appeal, which brought in $410,695, got off to a jaw-dropping start when Liberty Media’s chief executive officer, Greg Maffei, whose son has Type 1 diabetes, offered a personal donation of $250,000. In spirited bidding led by attorney/actor/auctioneer Doug Tisdale, Toby Pippin, the grandmother of a Type 1 diabetic who is so appreciative of the research and services at the Barbara Davis Center, placed the winning bid of $70,000 for the opportunity to travel to California with three friends to spend a weekend at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa and be the VIP guests for a Nov. 17 concert by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler at a private residence in neighboring Palm Springs.
Garth Brooks, Peyton Manning, John Elway and Barbara Davis were among those offering videotaped congratulations to Ernie Blake and Sharon Magness Blake, recipients of the 2017 High Hopes Tribute Award. Marilyn Amer, widow of Jules Amer, a cofounder of the Barbara Davis Center and longtime Davis family pediatrician, accepted the Founder’s Award on behalf of her late husband by speaking eloquently of his devotion to the children and families touched by diabetes.
And rocker Lenny Kravitz endeared himself to the 1,100 guests not just by turning in an amazing performance, but by pausing to hug several of the young Barbara Davis Center patients before leaving the stage at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center.
Comedian George Lopez, alas, didn’t fare so well. The star of “George Lopez,” a groundbreaking sitcom that had a six-season run on ABC, arrived by way of New Orleans to emcee the ball and deliver a brief comedy set. The New Orleans gig was a stop on The Comedy Get Down, a nationwide tour with fellow comics Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley, Charlie Murphy and Cedric the Entertainer that will be the basis for a scripted BET series set to begin this month.
Some of Lopez’s jokes were critical of President Trump’s stance on healthcare and immigration, and that didn’t sit well with some of those occupying the front-row, top-tier tables.
A brief back-and-forth between Lopez and those not happy with his subject matter ended with a decision to relieve Lopez from the remainder of his set and to have weather anchor Ed Greene take over as master of ceremonies.
What happened was “Unfortunate, but I’ve talked with everyone involved and all parties are OK,” Carousel Ball chairwoman Dana Davis said when we reached her by telephone on Monday. Dana, whose own Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at age 7 led to the formation of the Barbara Davis Center, is the executive director of the center’s fundraising and awareness-building arm, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation.
Gov. John Hickenlooper and his wife, Robin Pringle Hickenlooper, were among those turning out for the black-tie affair presented by Mercedes-benz, joining a group that included Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman; Peter and Meredith Coors; Dr. Marian Rewers, executive director of the Barbara Davis Center, and his wife, Arle- ta; Dr. Peter Chase, who had served as both executive director and clinical director at the Barbara Davis Center, and his wife, Linda; endocrinologist Georgeanna Klingensmith, a former pediatric clinic director at the Barbara Davis Center; and such BDC board members as Dr. Rick Abrams, Barry Hirschfeld, Cameron and Tracy van Orman, and Steve Farber.
Kara Diamond-husmann and her husband, Brian, are the parents of twin daughters, one of whom has Type 1 diabetes and has been a patient at the Barbara Davis Center. They were joined by Kara’s sister, Danielle, and her son, River; Kara’s parents, Pam and Ed Diamond, and Ed’s brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Cindy Diamond.
Kara is an elite ultrarunner who has completed the L.A. Marathon, the Arizo- na Ironman and, most recently, a 100-mile run in Steamboat Springs.
Others helping to support the cause were John and Anna Sie; Lisa Gilford; state treasurer Walker Stapleton and his wife, Jenna; Lone Tree’s mayor pro tem, Susan Squyer and her husband, Paul; Norm and Sunny Brownstein; Ralph, Anne and Justin Klomp, whose Trice Jewelers donated a designedfor-the occasion diamond bracelet for the live auction; Tom and Lisa Corley; Michael and Cheri Foss; Faye and Dr. Reginald Washington; Jay and Kris- tina Davidson; Lyn and Dr. Michael Schaffer; Larry and Jill Dipasquale; Angela Lieurance; Trish and Ken Green; Rick Sapkin; Bill and Yvonne Mccallum; Jack and Nathalie Fox; Steve and Shelley Lucas; Ken and Maria Mendelsberg; and Walter and Christie Isenberg.