‘Cocktails with Class’ Raises More Than $40,000 for Chronically Ill Students at Morgridge Academy at National Jewish Health

Signature Cocktails, Beer and Food from Front Range’s Best Restaurants, Breweries and Craft Distilleries Featured at Event

More than 200 people attending the inaugural Cocktails with Class on May 17 raised over $40,000 to benefit the Morgridge Academy, a free, unique kindergarten through eighth-grade day school for chronically ill children located on the campus of National Jewish Health. Cocktails with Class guests enjoyed panoramic views of the Denver skyline from DaVita World Headquarters’ spacious penthouse terrace, 14 stories above the 16th Street Mall.

With dueling pianos from Howl at the Moon playing in the background, the attendees sampled a variety of food, signature cocktails and drinks, which were created by more than a dozen local mixologists. Signature cocktails included a Modern Manhattan, Six Degrees of Cedar Rapids and Cointreau Rickey. Bar sponsors were: 

• Agave Taco Bar

• Arta Tequila

• Atticus

• Avery Brewing

• Black Canyon Distillery

• Dancing Pines Distillery

• DistilleryTour Co.

• Feisty Spirits

• Hall Brewing

• Highland Tap & Burger

• KJ Woods

• Leopold Brothers

• Low Down Brewery

• Old Major

• Remy Cointreau

• Spring 44 Distilling

• Shanahan’s

• State 38 Distilling

• Vesta Dipping Grill

• 5280 Magazine 

Event supporters included “On the Rocks” Sponsor GE Johnson Construction Company and “With a Twist” Sponsors Katie and Zach Frisch, Holland and Hart, Carolyn A. Meske/Oppenheimer and Co., Mortenson Construction Company, Dana Pluss Parks and Brian Parks, and Ellen Stewart and Donald Vancil.

Members of the event’s leadership — dubbed the Cocktails with Class “Stirring Committee” —were Morgridge Academy Committee Chair Brian Parks, Marc Cohen, Hadley Cox, Andrew Duke, Zach Frisch, Barb Gallagher, Jay Johnson, Jessica Milstein, Dana Pluss Parks, Kyle Ramstetter, Ashleigh Rothhammer, Ellen Stewart, Taylor Schierburg Surroz, Brad Trujillo and Quinn Washington.

Morgridge Academy, the only school of its kind in the nation, provides a safe, friendly and healthy school environment where students succeed academically, medically and socially. Many students are minorities, and most families are at or below poverty level. Typically, they have fallen behind their peers in school because of illnesses including severe asthma and/or allergies, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other respiratory and related disorders. Morgridge Academy students receive care and learn to manage their illnesses from three nurses and National Jewish Health pediatricians. They eat nutritious meals, exercise daily and practice positive social interaction. The students learn in small classes from teachers with advanced degrees using the latest educational technology tools; they demonstrate their knowledge by showing steady improvements on standardized tests and outpacing their peers in similar schools. Upon graduation, Morgridge Academy students have the skills to lead healthy, productive, meaningful and active lives.