Philanthropists Carrie and John Morgridge to be Honored with National Jewish Health Arthur B. Lorber Award

The Hospital’s Highest Award for Distinguished Service Will Be Presented at the Beaux Arts FREEDOM Ball on Feb. 25

National Jewish Health will present Carrie and John Morgridge with the Arthur B. Lorber Award for Distinguished Service. The award will be presented at the National Jewish Health Beaux Arts FREEDOM Ball at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. The award is the highest honor bestowed by National Jewish Health, the leading respiratory hospital in the nation.
 

The Arthur B. Lorber Award recognizes individuals who show leadership that has impacted the reputation, service, science or mission of the institution. The Morgridges’ generosity spans the nation and has left an indelible mark on the National Jewish Health campus. 

John and Carrie Morgridge began supporting the Beaux Arts Ball in 2008, and their Morgridge Family Foundation has been the presenting sponsor of the Beaux Arts Ball since 2010. The gala is the largest local fundraising event for National Jewish Health. The Morgridges were honored as Beaux Arts Ball grand marshals in 2011.

The Morgridges established their foundation in 2009, with a philanthropic focus of investing in leaders who are transforming our world through their community. John Morgridge is the foundation’s president, and Carrie Morgridge serves as vice president.

The support of the Morgridges and the Morgridge Family Foundation has improved both health care and education at National Jewish Health. In appreciation of a gift in 2013, National Jewish Health established the Morgridge Educational Campus, which includes the Morgridge Academy for chronically ill children and the Morgridge Fellowship Program. 

In addition to their generous contributions to advance the work of National Jewish Health, the Morgridges have impacted lives across Denver and the nation. They founded the Student Support Foundation and helped create Share Fair Nation and ThinkSpace, a recently established destination in Denver for innovative professional development for educators. The Morgridge Family Foundation has also supported major projects at the University of Denver, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Mile High United Way.

Arthur B. Lorber was the visionary who combined compassionate care with ground-breaking research at the National Asthma Center in Denver during the mid-1900s. That unique model of care became the foundation of how medicine is practiced at National Jewish Health when the National Asthma Center and National Jewish Health merged in 1978. Past recipients of the Arthur B. Lorber Award include former U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, Iris and Michael Smith, Norman Brownstein, and Leonard M. Perlmutter.

The Beaux Arts Ball is one of the most anticipated social galas in Denver, raising over $2 million each year to support National Jewish Health. The 2017 Beaux Arts FREEDOM Ball is the 20th anniversary event. This year’s grand marshals are Debbie and Michael Feiner, Cathey and Richard Finlon, Mary Lou Blackledge Kortz and Donald Kortz, and Julie and Brent Morse. A. Barry Hirschfeld is honorary chair.

For more information about the Lorber Award or the Beaux Arts FREEDOM Ball, contact Clem Connolly at 303.728.6546 or ConnollyC@njhealth.org.

Morgridge Educational Campus at National Jewish Health
Morgridge Academy is a free K-8 school for children living with chronic illnesses that require frequent medical attention. The school, which combines both academic and medical education, is the only one of its kind on a medical campus in the country and was renamed in the Morgridges’ honor. It has existed since 1984.

The Morgridge Fellowship Program brings about 60 young post-doctoral students to National Jewish Health each year to learn the unique model of care and use it in their practices around the world. Today, there are more than 700 former Morgridge fellows practicing worldwide.