Golf Event Raises Funds for Chronically Ill Children at Morgridge Academy, a part of National Jewish Health

On July 28- 29, business and philanthropic leaders gathered with local sports and media celebrities for dinner and golf to help provide whole-child education for the students of Morgridge Academy at National Jewish Health. The Night & Day Celebrity Golf Classic raised nearly $225,000 to benefit the school.

Day and Night Golf Event Co-Chairs Marc Steron & Vic Lombardi

Proceeds of the annual event support Morgridge Academy, a school for chronically ill children, and the only school of its kind in the country. The school, on the campus of National Jewish Health, provides a safe and healthy environment where students learn to manage their illnesses and can succeed academically, medically and socially.

“Many Morgridge Academy students have not had the opportunity to experience success in a traditional academic environment,” said Rich Baer, chair of the hospital’s board of directors. The students at this unique school are facing each day with chronic illnesses such as severe asthma and allergies, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and HIV/AIDS. “Here they can learn while having access to the best medical care in the nation with our world-renowned National Jewish Health team,” Baer added.

The two-day Celebrity Golf Classic included dinner and golf with local celebrities, including Marcello Balboa, Joel Dreessen, Marc Moser and Steve Reed. Co-chairs of the event were Marc Steron, managing partner of Shanahan’s, chair of the National Jewish Health Development Board, and member of the National Jewish Health Board of Directors; along with sports legend and KSE studio host Vic Lombardi, who hosted his KSE Altitude Sports Radio show live from Sanctuary on Monday, July 29.

Celebrities, sponsors and attendees kicked-off the event with dinner and a live and silent auction at Shanahan’s, one of Denver’s top steakhouses. Items up for bid included golf at Pebble Beach Resorts, a Cartier watch from Hyde Park Jewelers, a private dinner at Shanahan’s, as well as premier tickets to see the Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos.

The Pebble Beach Resorts live auction package offered the opportunity to compete for the Lexus charity purse prize at the 2019 Lexus Champions for Charity tournament in Pebble Beach, California. This is the second year in a row this exclusive package was donated to the tournament by Kuni Lexus of Greenwood Village with first-class airfare provided by United Airlines.

The second day of the event took the golfers and celebrities to the highly acclaimed Sanctuary golf course in Sedalia, Colorado. Among the golfers were National Jewish Health Board Members: R. Stanton Dodge, A. Barry Hirschfeld, Bradley A. Levin, Connie G. McArthur, Brian Parks, Meyer M. Saltzman, Donald A. Silversmith, and Marc D. Steron