More than 800 people gathered at the Red Cross Heroes Soiree on Friday, Feb. 26, to celebrate and honor heroes and to support the lifesaving work of the Red Cross in Colorado.
The 2016 Red Cross Heroes Soiree featured Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper as a guest speaker and American National Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern as keynote speaker.
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| Co-Chairs Alice Jackson & Jerome Davis with American National Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. |
The event explored edgy new twists for a Denver fundraiser while remaining true to its decade-long roots honoring local heroes and highlighting the Red Cross mission. Held at the Exdo Event center in Denver’s hot RiNo (River North) neighborhood, the Soiree began with a cocktail and networking hour complete with beverages sponsored by MillerCoors, a Red Carpet experience presented by MillerCoors and Bank of America, live music by the MoTones, and a “champagne aerialist” pouring glasses of champagne for guests while suspended from the ceiling. Decor in the grand ballroom featured modern patterns, glitz, glitter and social media stands presented by EON Office.
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| The event featured modern decor. |
The evening’s formal presentation was emceed by Reggie Rivers and CBS4 morning anchor Britt Moreno and hosted by Event Chairs Alice Jackson and Jerome Davis, representing presenting sponsor Xcel Energy. The ceremony carried on the long-standing tradition of the Red Cross Mile High Area honoring everyday heroes and awarding outstanding acts of compassion and heroism by local residents. Great-West Financial and Empower Retirement paused to recognize the everyday heroes in the crowd: military, veterans, police, fire, EMS and Red Cross volunteers who touch lives every day in our communities.
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| In addition to presenting awards to outstanding community members, the Heroes Soiree honored everyday heroes. |
The Red Cross presented five awards to outstanding heroes. If you missed the event or want to relive their touching stories, watch their videos below.
These heroes exemplified the Red Cross spirit of compassion, humanitarianism and taking action to help others. Their stories served as a moving inspiration to all present to get involved in the Red Cross mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of disasters and emergencies. And the attendees at the Soiree answered the call to help with a resounding yes! Attendees pledged more than $100,000 following the award ceremony. DCP Midstream, Xcel Energy, Bank of America, MillerCoors and an anonymous board member contributed an additional $155,000 in matching funds to increase the impact of the day-of donations, bringing the grand total raised by the 2016 Red Cross Heroes Soiree to more than $500,000!
We’d like to give a special thanks to our event sponsors and annual supporters: Ball Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, PCL Construction Enterprises, Xcel Energy, CoBank, Western Union Foundation, DCP Midstream, Great-West Financial, Empower Retirement, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, MillerCoors, Anadarko Petroleum, PDC Energy, Noble Energy, Liberty Oilfield Services, Anschutz Foundation, CH2M, EON Office, Colorado Oil and Gas Association, and all our table sponsors!
View all of the event photos here.