Last-minute holiday shoppers who’d like to see at least part of the money they are spending go to a worthy cause are invited to stop by Swoozie’s, 589 Fillmore St., this evening. From 5-8 p.m., management is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases, with an additional 20 percent going to Excelsior Youth Center.

The event is being hosted by Jamie Angelich, the recipient of Excelsior’s Triumphant Woman award for 2012.

Today

Cancer League of Colorado is having its holiday meeting, starting at 11:30 a.m. at Marcia Donzinger’s home in Cherry Hills Village.

Thursday

Advocacy Denver is having a dinner-and-a-movie fundraiser this afternoon in Westminster.

Guests can view either “The Hobbit,” at 1:25 p.m., or “Rise of the Guardians,” at 1:50 p.m., at the AMC 24 Promenade and then enjoy dinner at Que Bueno Restaurant.

The event is sponsored by JBlanco Enterprises, Rod Tafoya, Jesse Ogas and Que Bueno Restaurant.

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com and @GetItWrite on Twitter

Jeff Martinez to succeed Mary Ann Shing at Brothers Redevelopment.

As December draws to a close, so, too, does Mary Ann Shing’s tenure as president of Brothers Redevelopment. Truly, her retirement marks the end of an era.

Shing has been with the nonprofit organization for 33 of its 41 years, having been hired as a receptionist in 1980. “When I first applied for an administrative position with Brothers, I
didn’t even know what a nonprofit was,” Shing recalls. “And hadn’t even considered that I
might be here so long. I’m really grateful for all of the opportunities that Brothers has given to me, especially those chances to help our seniors.”

Today, Shing manages an annual budget that exceeds $8 million and a 48-person staff. On average, more than 4,000 low-income senior and disabled clients annually count on Brothers for affordable housing, home maintenance and repair, and housing counseling.

“Mary Ann was one of those executives who truly worked her way up through the ranks,” says Tony Black, the past chairman for the agency’s board of directors. “Throughout her tenure, she has always handled herself professionally and to the highest of standards, treating others with the utmost respect.”

Six years ago, Shing shared with Black and his board colleagues that she would soon consider retirement, and they encouraged her to help identify her successor and begin the process of establishing a transition plan.

Read more…

On Saturday, Delta Eta Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity will brighten the holidays for a host of Denver youngsters when the membership hosts its second annual Toys For Tots Christmas Celebration at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center in Park Hill.

President Scott Mitchell says that 2,500 toys will be given away, with help from members of the U.S. Marine Corps, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“It’s important to remember our community neighbors who have felt the impact of a struggling economy during this time of year,” Mitchell said. “Every child deserves a Christmas, and the members of Delta Eta Boule are proud to partner with the Toys For Tots program to bring them one that they will hopefully remember.”

The event is open to low-income families with children up to 13 years old. In addition to receiving toys, the children will have an opportunity to visit with Santa Claus, learn to make holiday crafts and much more. “We look forward to seeing the smiles on the children’s faces that day, as that will be a priceless gift for our entire organization,” Mitchell adds.

The Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center is at 3334 Holly St.

Founded in 1904, Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-letter organization founded in 1904 and has over 5,000 members.

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com and @GetItWrite on Twitter

Efva Attling, a former model and musician, is now designing jewelry sold at her own boutique in New York and such stores as Hyde Park Jewelers in Denver.

Efva Attling and Samantha Larkins surround themselves with diamonds and gold each day. Sounds rough, doesn’t it? Yet they aren’t just reveling in precious stones and metals, but turning these raw materials into wearable pieces of art.

At this time of year, the jewelry designers leave their workbenches and studios to visit stores and promote and sell their designs. We recently caught up with the women — one a Swedish former model and pop singer, the other a young Denver mother of two — to learn a little more about them and to get some insights into what’s happening in the industry.

Read more…

President Ann Brown, left, with honoree George Sparks; his wife, Karyn Sparks; and vice president Ann Lowdermilk.

Scholarships totaling $205,000 were presented to 41 students when Colorado Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists held its annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon hosted by the University of Colorado and held on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

The luncheon also was the occasion to announce that George Sparks, president and CEO of Denver Museum of Nature & Science was the chapter’s 2012-2013 Honoree of the Year.

Sparks spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot and as an assistant professor of aeronautics at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He then spent 24 years in the electronics measurement business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies before joining the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in 2004. His passion is educational public policy, particularly as it relates to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum.

Read more…

A dance routine, choreographed for the occasion, is part of the annual Jack and Jill Beautillion, to be held this year on Dec. 16 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown.

On Sunday, Denver chapter of Jack and Jill of America celebrates the “Power, Promise, and Potential” of today’s African-American teens by presenting 24 outstanding high school seniors at the 29th Beautillion. The black-tie event, chaired by DeVita Bruce, Vanessa Howard and Deirdre Wilson begins at 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Denver Downtown.

The Beautillion was established in 1983 as a way to honor college-bound African-American males who are seniors at Denver-area high schools. Those chosen have excelled in academics, community service, athletics and various other extracurricular activities.

In the three months leading up to the Beautillion, each Beau is required to participate in a community service project and to attend meetings and workshops, where topics range from the basics of time management to an examination of “The New Jim Crow,” a book by Prof. Michelle Alexander that highlights disparities in the penal system that disproportionately affect African-American males. The Beaus also meet weekly to rehearse intricate ballroom dance routines to be performed during the Beautillion.

Read more…

Hadijah Nampina of Uganda is one of those whose lives are being changed by Boulder-based BeadforLife. Photo: Provided by BeadforLife

The Boulder-based nonprofit BeadforLife is the winner of More magazine’s 2012 Job Genius Award and will use the $20,000 prize to expand its mission of helping impoverished Ugandan women to change their lives through their own hard work, creating markets for their bead jewelry and shea butter beauty items.

The announcement appears in the magazine’s December/January issue, which is on newsstands now.

Ten organizations that are creating jobs for women took part in the competition, with the winner selected by votes cast on the magazine’s website.

“Thousands voted and BeadforLife came out on top, earning $20,000 to help Ugandan women overcome extreme poverty, disease, war and hardship by empowering them to rebuild their lives,” notes BeadforLife executive director Devin Hibbard. “Impoverished Ugandan women achieve this through their own hard work rolling beads to create jewelry, harvesting shea nuts for butter to create beauty items and ultimately, launching their own businesses that will sustain them into the future.

“If we can educate a new woman to expand her business, that is the greatest gift we can offer, as it will sustain her family into the future,” Hibbard adds.

Read more…

Reisher Scholars Yulia Pastukhova, left, Natalie Moriah Kellett and Youstbi Djuanvat attend the University of Colorado Denver.

When it comes to helping those in need, Coloradans are a generous bunch. The best, and most recent, example is Colorado Gives Day, the 2012 edition of which raised an astonishing $15 million for 1,258 nonprofit organizations in a 24-hour period.

Many more examples abound, and that has inspired the Denver Foundation to launch Give, a magazine that can be accessed in digital format by visiting the Denver Foundation website. Hard copies and publication details can be obtained by calling 303-300-1790.

Give will contain stories of “transformative philanthropy,” trends in giving, charitable advice, interviews and ways for individuals, families, and organizations in every corner of the community to become involved.

“Our community has an outstanding history of generosity,” observes David Miller, the foundation’s president and chief executive officer. “From Charles Boettcher to Madam C.J. Walker, from Emily Griffith to Bill Daniels, metro Denver is a place where entrepreneurs find success and philanthropists make their mark.”

The publication debuted at a reception held at Cherry, a nightclub in Cherry Creek North.

The cover photo features three Reisher Scholarship recipients who, Miller says, “Represent generosity in action and the promise of a new generation.” They are but five of almost 800 Coloradans whose college dreams have been funded by the Reisher family, founders of Colorado’s FirstBank.

At the launch party, short reflections about the stories and people featured in the first issue were shared by FirstBank’s West Region president Emily Robinson; Cori Plotkin Streetman and Sarah Hogan, partners at Barefoot PR and co-authors of an article about engaging the NOW Generation; and entrepreneur and philanthropist Marco Antonio Abarca, whose parents co-founded Ready Foods.

Abarca shared how he and his parents, who came to the U.S. from Mexico, were profoundly impacted by the many ways people have demonstrated generosity in their lives. “My parents sent me to college and law school, but the quid pro quo was for me to give back,” Abarca said.

The Denver Foundation, Colorado’s oldest and largest, is a community foundation dedicated to improving life in Metro Denver through philanthropy, leadership, and strengthening the community. Last year, the Foundation awarded over $47 million in grants.

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com and @GetItWrite on Twitter

Andrew Duke and Hadley Cox chaired Cocktails & Karaoke 2012. Photos: Beth Reineck, Special to The Denver Post

Yes, for every guy or gal who could sing like the angels there was someone else who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

But that’s what’s so great about Cocktails & Karaoke, the annual songfest that for 11 years now has put the “fun” in fundraising for National Jewish Health.

Tuneful or tune-challenged, nearly everyone’s willing to give it a go for a cause they hold dear: Kunsberg School, located on the NJH campus in Denver.

The school provides a safe, friendly and health environment for youngsters with respiratory and immune system disorders that include severe asthma, allergies, sickle cell anemia, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. They eat nutritious meals, exercise and practice positive social interaction so that when they graduate they have the skills to lead healthy, productive, meaningful and active lives.

Heidi McGuire, left, and Dana Pluss Parks.

The $50,000 that was raised this year will be used to purchase medical supplies, uniforms and other items needed for the 90 kindergarten through eighth graders who attend the tuition-free Kunsberg School. Many of the students are from families living at or below the poverty level.

Hadley Cox, vice president at CBRE Group, and Andrew Duke, associate vice president at ANB Bank, chaired Cocktails & Karaoke 2012. It was emceed by Heidi McGuire of 321 Media Productions and held at Casselman’s Bar and Venue.

Ashleigh Rothhammer, left, and Jessica Best

Read more…

Alysen Hargrove and Tommy Cowan are planning a 12-12-12 wedding in Costa Rica. (Photo courtesy Alysen Hargrove and Tommy Cowan)

With Dec. 12 fast approaching, couples are taking advantage of one of the last repeat number wedding dates we will see in our lifetime. The repeated date wedding has been a success in the wedding industry throughout the early 2000’s. A recent survey conducted by David’s Bridal found that 43 percent of brides would consider planning their wedding on a special date such as 10-11-12 or 12-12-12.

The number twelve also resonates for those who study the Old and New Testaments. Jacob had twelve sons; there were twelve tribes of Israel and Jesus had twelve apostles. Religious people often view the number twelve as a symbol of faith and love, which is confirmed by various passages from the Bible.

Numerologists consider 12 a symbol of wholeness and completion. Since December is the twelfth month, couples with end-of-the-year weddings planned often take advantage of the concept that their wedding represents an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ mentality.

Alysen Hargrove and Tommy Cowan are planning a 12-12-12 wedding in Costa Rica for a variety of reasons. The Colorado couple got engaged on Alysen’s 28th birthday last year, which fell on 11-11-11. The proposal came at her parent’s home from her boyfriend of six years.

Read more…