Log In


Reset Password
Columnists View from the Center Bear Smart The Travel Troubleshooter Dear Abby Student Aide Of Sound Mind Others Say Powerful solutions You are What You Eat Out Standing in the Fields What's up in Durango Skies Watch Yore Topknot Local First RE-4 Education Update MECC Cares for kids

Guests have roaring good time at TLC for FLC

Between the Nash automobile and all the ladies glowing in flapper dresses and men dapper in hats, guests felt transported to the Roaring 1920s at TLC for FLC.

The event, thrown by the Fort Lewis College Foundation, fêted about 112 guests at the college’s theatre on April 16 to raise more than $38,000 for scholarships and faculty grants. The facility presented a bit of a challenge in terms of structure, but that was the point – the school needs a new, modern, comfortable theater. There was no better way to make the point than having guests see for themselves, and I, for one, am convinced.

Sodexo did a great job of catering luxurious appetizers. The menu included shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon with a plethora of toppings, California sushi rolls, bourbon cocktail meatballs, crostini with basil, mozzarella and tomato, cucumber cups, deviled eggs, a pork loin-slider station, stuffed potato wedges with either bacon and sour cream or pinto beans and green chile, chicken Wellington, tortellini and tomato picks, a huge cheese display and stuffed mushrooms. Among the mini-desserts were red velvet cupcakes, tiny vanilla custards and lemon and banana cream tarts.

Guests went home with a mini-box of Animas Chocolate Co. chocolates.

One thing I always love about this event is that it’s a chance to meet some of the students whose lives have been changed by the support of donors like these. One was Stephanie Lefthand, who I had the pleasure of meeting while reporting a story last fall. She was one of two students holding a “cigarette girl” tray, complete with candy cigarettes and mints.

Other students included Michael Watchman, Chelsea Ficken and Takuya Amamiya. Kelly Schultz, who is graduating with a degree in business management, is the recipient of the Rexer Berndt Scholarship and is a work-study student in the Advancement Office. Rockelle Hendin, a junior majoring in cellular and molecular biology is also a work-study student for Advancement.

A dapper band of students – Michael Gutierrez, Jonah Archuleta and Andrew Pearson – provided a jazzy soundtrack for the evening, thanks in part to their teacher Jeff Solon.

The evening is a cross-section of entertainment, fundraising and reminder of why FLC matters and why the money raised matters.

As the entertainment, guests enjoyed two dances by the cast of “Trojan Women in Love,” one of which was an event-appropriate Charleston.

Kimmy Laumann, who is graduating Saturday as a general music major, sang to an audience that included her very proud grandparents, Reginald and Beverly Graham. Both FLC retirees, they are the founders of a Marketing and Management Professorship. Laumann received Alumni, Michael Bodo, Viola Wommer and Roberta Barr scholarships to help her afford college.

Evan Wick, a sophomore English communications major, is an ambassador for admissions. He has several scholarships, including the Coca-Cola Leadership Scholarship. He spoke eloquently about how scholarships have been “an investment in me.”

And Al Harper, owner of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, not only donated several items for the silent and live auctions, he spoke movingly about the value of a liberal arts education and what it had meant to him.

I haven’t written much about the faculty grants, but they’re an important part of the evening. Associate professor Heidi Steltzer spoke about what the grant meant as an investment in her work. She used it to support environmental monitoring to provide data that can be shared with the community.

Ryan Smith, associate professor of physics and engineering, received a grant to purchase several small robotic assets during his first two years at the college. They allowed him to demonstrate capability and research capacity, which were used to win a $400,000 National Science Foundation Infrastructure Grant in September.

And associate professor of music Katharine Jetter used her grant to commission “The Spirit of the Mesa: A Musical Portrait of Mesa Verde National Park,” which her students in Chamber Orchestra played at high schools in the area before performing it at the Colorado Music Educators Association Annual Conference.

Mark Jastorff, vice president of advancement for the college, served as the master of ceremonies. He worked with Calvin and Pat Story to auction off several unique items in a spirited live auction.

Kudos to the crew who organized an event with so many moving parts, including Elizabeth Bussian and Anna McBrayer from the Marketing and Communications Department, Denise Leslie, the manager of the MainStage Theatre, and the FLC Foundation, including Debra Parmenter and Gene Bradley.

•••

Celebrating the last of the Aries and the first of the Taurus birthdays are Beth Green, Allan Green, Norm Goldman, Laura Jaramillo, Ronda Conrad, Dorothy Gore, Liz Callard, Jean May, Pam Leder, Erica Max, Sonja Smith, Cole House, Vicki Ochocki, Nancy Carr, Sandra LeFevre, Bonnie Brennan, Sandy Sunderland, Deanna Schardt, Carrie Vogel, Bob Riggio, John Sandhaus, Cheryl Wiescamp, Barbara Denk, Clint Wolf, Kade Jackson, Bob Sexton, Eric Hjermstad, Richard Kippen, Collyn O’Brien, Greg Drover, Alex McLean, Virginia Pewterbaugh, Amelia Best, Katy Freiberger, Joe Wade Plunk, Rita Warfield, Mark Hardaway, Marc Miller, Mary Ann Craig, Aeneas McBrayer, Nancy Carr, Kelly Cunnion, Peter Cunnion, Jan Postler, Annslee Crouch, Dian May and Lucas Spaeder.

•••

Listen up, folks in the nonprofit world.

Friday is the deadline for nonprofits to apply to be part of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Sky Ute Casino & Resort’s annual Cash Giveaway. This is the 17th outing for the event, which has given away almost $300,000 to date.

So you can see how wide-ranging their generosity is, last year’s selected nonprofits were Dancing Spirit Inc., Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, WolfWood Refuge, Friends of the Ignacio Community Library, GECKO Inc., WINGS of Freedom Inc., Veteran’s Memorial Park of Archuleta County, Be Frank Foundation, Tribal College Journal, People Improving Communities & Kids, Ignacio FFA Booster Club, Bayfield Lions Club Foundation, Adult Day Care at Our Place, La Plata Council on Aging Inc. and Health Coalition of Southwest Colorado.

All 15 selected nonprofits will receive a check for $500 at a reception on May 12 before their designated representatives step into the cash booth with all that flying moolah.

Applications are available at www.skyutecasino.com. They’re due by 5 p.m. Friday, to be considered for admittance into the event.

For more information, or to have an application faxed or emailed, contact Tracy Leppert, at 563-1752 or tracy.leppert@skyutecasino.com.

This can be a real boost in the arm for nonprofits without the effort that goes into organizing a fundraiser, plus it’s fun. It’s definitely worth going for, as I think every nonprofit who has been on the receiving end will tell you.

•••

Nothing says happy April anniversary like April showers for George and Aurora Rose, Steve and Marti Kiely, Van and Mary Butler, Bill and Pam Brown, Alice and Stan Crapo, Bob and Shannon Kunkel, Jim and Jane Marentette, Bill and Tamara Volz, Randy and Molly Bondow, Gareth and Mary Hammond, Clark and Caroline Kinser and Rob and Maria Kolter.

•••

I apologize to Neighbors readers who looked in vain for the column last week. I got tied up in the story about safe teen driving and ran out of time. Lots of great stories are still to come as I catch up.

•••

Here’s how to reach me: neighbors@durangoherald.com; phone 375-4584; mail items to the Herald; or drop them off at the front desk. Please include contact names and phone numbers for all items. Follow me on Twitter @Ann_Neighbors.

I am happy to consider photos for Neighbors, but they must be high-quality, high-resolution photos (at least 1 MB of memory) and include no more than three to five people. I need to know who’s who, left to right, and who to credit with the photo. Candid photos are better than posed, and photos should be submitted as JPG or TIF attachments.



Reader Comments