Blast-From-the-Past Event Raises $80,000 for TRU
Guests of TRU Community Care’s annual fundraising gala arrived at the Denver Marriot Westminster decked out in disco clothes, Vietnam vet attire, and groovy 70s prints. This year’s theme—Peace, Love & PIZZAZ!—celebrated TRU’s 40th anniversary of serving the community. In honor of those 40 years, the blast from the past included a 1970s-themed dance party. Attendees enjoyed the music of live band Soul School as they bid on items in the silent and live auctions, drank signature psychedelic cocktails, and boogied the night away.
Eric and Jessica Beck, with Jessica’s father Bob Von Eschen, boogied the night away.
Saying Yes When It TRUly Matters
Throughout the evening, guests were reminded of TRU’s mission: to ensure that everyone in our community can live with advanced illness as comfortably, confidently, and fully as possible. We say yes to anyone needing our help, regardless of their ability to pay.
Can you imagine being in one of the most vulnerable times of your life and not having any support? Would you feel safe? Imagine what it feels like to be told no during a time when yes matters. One day you, too, will face death, and you won’t want to be alone. And at TRU, we strive to say yes to everyone, no matter their circumstances.
Recently, our TRU Hospice Care Center staff and volunteers cared for a man named Steve.
Steve came to us having suffered a massive stroke. His care needs were great, and he was not able to return home from the hospital; he needed help beyond what anyone in his life could offer, and like so many times in the past 40 years, because we have a care center for the most acute and most complex cases, we were able to say, “Yes, we can help.”
Adding Life to Days
The goal of our healthcare system is to cure the incurable; to fix the unfixable; to use our vast systems of technology and know-how to make people whole again, and when that isn’t possible, it’s hard for us to accept. Well, Steve was in a place of acceptance; he knew that what he needed was a place for compassion and a place for peace.
You Can Help Us Close the Gap
At TRU, we take on the most difficult end-of-life cases; we say yes because we know that people like Steve have no other place to turn. We are able to say yes because community members like you understand that with your help, we can take care of Steve in the most respectful, most compassionate way possible. One guest who attended PIZZAZ! remarked,
In the midst of the festivities, we were rightly called back consistently to the mission of TRU Community Care. PIZZAZ! is a good instrument over the years to span the reality of end of life care with vitality and hopefulness. The 40th anniversary added meaning to this rendition.
We are grateful to each and every one of you who attended PIZZAZ! to offer hope and comfort to those in our community requiring such important and dignified end-of-life care. Your decision to say yes helps us further our mission.
L to R: Maria Thomas, Communications Coordinator; Pat Mehnert, Interim President & CEO; Diana Slough, Event Chair; Annette Mainland, VP of Philanthropy; Jessica Sharley, Philanthropic Services Specialist
View more photos on the TRU Community Care Facebook page.
