To Old Friends and New- Bites & Bottles 2014

Last Monday, Shining Stars was honored to be the beneficiaries of the 2014 Bites & Bottles fundraiser, presented by the Greater Denver chapter of the National Association of Caterers and Event Planners. The event was hosted at The Infinite Monkey Theorem in Denver and featured delicious food and drink from Denver’s best caterers. The evening was led by our new friend, Master of Ceremonies and former Denver Bronco Reggie Rivers. A great time was had by all! A portion of the proceeds from the evening will be donated to Shining Stars, where 95 cents of every dollars goes DIRECTLY to fund our children’s programs. It's always fun to have a good time for a great cause!

The silent and live auctions were managed by Auctions By Cellular, ABC, a mobile bidding and silent auction technology firm. We were thrilled to see a familiar face among the red shirts with ABC- former Shining Star Brittney, who attended Winter Games in 2001! Brittney works as an ABC Pro while going to nursing school, where she hopes to graduate and become a pediatric oncology nurse.  Prior to seeing the Shining Stars crew at the winery, she had no idea who the fundraiser was for. It was truly magical to see Brittney thriving in life so many years after she was a Shining Star in Aspen. Brittney was honored to be a part of the event and even got up to speak during the live auction paddle raiser. She spoke about how important Shining Stars was for her throughout her cancer treatment, and how her experience at Winter Games truly gave her hope for life once again.

Brittney’s success story touched everyone present and reminded us once again why we do what we do. So that kids like Brittney who are forced to look life-threatening illnesses in the face do not have to do so alone. So that these kids can find their inner strength and conquer whatever life throws their way. So that they can continue to live and thrive with passion, just as Brittney has. 

We had a great time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones at this fabulous event. Thanks again to NACE for having us and helping us raise money to bring HOPE to children who truly need it.

Fall is Falling!

Fall is a magnificent time in the High Rockies region of Colorado where we are based. The trees light up into yellow, red and orange while the air gets a little brisk and we are reminded that winter is on it's way.

At Shining Stars, Fall is a time we can reflect on the Summer behind us and plan for the Winter season ahead. This has been a busy and productive Summer for us here at the Foundation.

We put on three large fundraisers with the help of our growing and dedicated volunteer force. Board Member Marty Roberts and Staff Member Heather Bratton, along with our fabulous Golf Committee, put on a SOLD OUT tournament at a brand new course this year at the 10th Annual Tee Off For Kids With Cancer Tournament.

A brand new event was held in June at the Aspen home of Dr. Patricia Hill, Glitz in the Garden. The afternoon featured live music, wine tastings, boutique shopping and delicious bites from local Aspen restaurants. It was a fun and glamorous outing that got us so excited to start planning next summer's Wine, Women, and Shoes fundraiser, which will be held for over 250 people at the base of Aspen Mountain!

Another one of our summer fundraisers is the Winter Park Half Marathon, from which all proceeds are donated to the foundation. Race director and Shining Stars volunteer Nicolena Johnson did an amazing job putting the race together this year and we are so excited to watch this event grow!

The money raised at these events allowed us to fill the summer with fun for our Shining Stars families! Events included a day at the Denver Zoo, Van's Equipment Day, Monster Truck Rally at the Colorado National Speedway, a Lucky Strike bowling event, "The Fault in Our Stars" movie screening, Rockies baseball games, and much more!

Our two summer programs- the Grand County Family Adventure and the Aspen Summer Adventure- were absolutely magical experiences, where we witnessed friends new and old support each other and make new memories.

All of these opportunities have allowed our families to strengthen bonds and create new friendships with others who know the challenges and the struggles of having a child with a life threatening illness. We feel honored and lucky to be able to provide these memory-making,  life-changing experiences to brave children who are fighting or have fought cancer or another life threatening illness, as well as the deserving families who support them.

We truly love what we do and are grateful each day for our supportive communities and inspiring families! We are looking forward to an equally magical Winter season- planning has already begun for Winter Games 2015 and we can't wait to meet all of our new kids.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!