Residents are dusting off their ball gowns and tuxedos for the 13th annual Children’s Charity Ball Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.
Although the ball is expected to collect close to the $40,000 for the Arvada Child Advocacy Center it does every year, something is distinctly different.
The ball, which will take its “Somewhere My Love – An Evening in Moscow” look from “Dr. Zhivago,” is the first one organized by the new board of directors. For its first 12 years, the ball was organized by Pam Easton and her board of volunteers. The new board is led by Ereka O’Hara.
“We owe so much to Pam and the others who have worked on this wonderful event through the years,” O’Hara said. “The debt of gratitude we owe Pam Easton, Jen Murray, Liz Miller, Tara Gilmore, Diane Espy, Rose Wickwire, Doreen Vendena, Carol Steel, Nina Downey, Linda DeWitt, Frizbe Easler, Jan Collins and others is immeasurable.”
During its 12-year existence, the ball has raised an estimated $350,000 for the Arvada Child Advocacy Center. The center provides a safe environment in which police can interview victims of child sexual abuse. This year’s ball also benefits the Arvada Center’s Accessibility Program, which provides art experiences for the disabled.
“Since its inception, the children’s charity has been the largest consistent contributor to the Arvada Child Advocacy Center,” said center coordinator Cher Roemer. “Through their generosity, the advocacy center now offers services to hundreds of sexually abused children.”
The new board of directors is comprised of O’Hara, Donna Browning, Steve Caulk, Lynn Huizing, Chris McGarraugh, Steve Swensen, Susie Walter, Mala Setaram-Wolfe and Maria VanderKolk.
“This is a huge undertaking. The charity ball usually has between 400 and 500 attendees,” VanderKolk said. “There’s a huge need for volunteers. Every year there are folks who greet, who walk around and sell tokens, who work the silent auction. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun.”
For more information about volunteering, call O’Hara at 303-898-8787.