Honoring fighters and fundraisers

Honoring fighters and fundraisers
LLS Midway Reception recognized candidates for Man and Woman of the Year
Emma Marshall
Friday, March 6, 2009
HEROES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BLOOD CANCER: From left: Kaye Unverzagt, national director of partner development for LLS; “Girl of the Year” Mallory Evans; Nancy Klein, chief marketing and revenue officer for LLS; candidate Brenda Crews Martinez; Chef Daniel

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society held the midway reception for the annual Man and Woman of the Year competition Tuesday Night.
Chef Daniel Young catered the heartwarming event that honored individuals involved in the fight to raise funds for blood cancer research.
Gracious hearts set the beat of the reception at Cry Baby Ranch in Larimer Square. The western boutique converted to a cocktail reception complete with boots and cowboy hats. Every other line was a joke out of the mouth of Ralph Guglielmi, the emcee and 2007 Man of the Year. He lightened up the mood before the story of a survivor made everyone choke back a few tears of joy.
Girl of the Year
Girl of the Year Mallory Evans, 14, is a blood cancer survivor. She was honored at the reception with a horseshoe and a sash to complete her western outfit.
Her eyes brightened as she talked about getting her energy back and getting on with her life after finishing treatment in January.
After 10 months of weekly chemotherapy treatments, she is finally in remission.
“The whole time I just kept telling myself, ‘I gotta get through this,’” said Evans.
Boy of the Year
Boy of the Year, 6-year-old Preston Kilzer, attended in lively spirits in a decked-out western motif. Every time a camera was pointed at him, he made the person behind the camera smile from ear to ear. Looking at him was hard to imagine that he finished five cycles of ABV/COPP chemotherapy over a course of six months.
The Boy and Girl of the Year are examples of the importance of the campaign because they have directly benefited from the money raised by “Man and Woman of the Year” candidates.
“They serve as the inspiration ambassadors for the Man and Woman of the Year fundraising campaign,” said Rebecca Russell, executive director for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of LLS.
The seven individuals running for the title do a campaign-style fundraising mission to collect the most funds. The man and woman that raise the most funds will lasso the local title of Man and Woman of the Year at the Grand Finale Hoedown on March 28 at the Denver Marriott City Center, then move on to compete nationally. The candidates never find out what the competition is bringing in until the grand finale. Seventy-five percent of the campaign’s proceeds fund the fight against blood cancer.
“I don’t care who wins. I just hope we raise a lot of money,” said candidate William P. Buckley about the competition. All the other candidates stood with the same gratitude as the reception applauded the individuals for being halfway through the fundraising campaign.
Enjoying eats made by Young
After the candidates posed for appreciation, the loud country music kicked on and the guests enjoyed the colorful appetizers prepared by candidate and renowned chef Young. Young is the Denver chef who cooked in Washington, D.C., during President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
While he was preparing the food in the back room of Cry Baby Ranch, he talked about the excitement of Inauguration Day and the road trip he took to get there. The memory took him away from cooking for a moment.
His regular position as personal chef to Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony occupies Young’s time outside of fundraising. He specializes in using nutrition to help enhance his clients’ performance.
He will be using his talents for his main fundraising event this Saturday at LeMay Auto Museum in Lakewood. The event, called “Cuisine for a Cause,” will feature music by Hazel Miller and The Argonauts, as well as an art auction featuring local artists. Young will be providing a variety of cuisines for the cause.
According to Young, running for Man/Woman of the Year is an accomplishment worth fighting for.
“I love doing it because of what it’s doing for the kids and their families. Just to say I participated is a lifetime achievement,” said Young.
Candidates are only at the halfway point in their fundraising efforts, so there is still time to support your favorite candidate.
More Information:
www.manwomanoftheyear.org/rm or contact Andrea Steffes-Tuttle at 303-984-2110