Changemakers Magazine | Winter 2022

CHANGEMAKERS

Dear Friends,

As we gear up for the holiday season, I am so thankful for all of you. Our community continues to come together in unprecedented ways to support our mission and change the lives of our patients and their families. Children’s Colorado is doing transformative work to help and heal children here in Colorado, across the region and around the world. With your support, our team can continue to save lives while transforming pediatric medicine on a global scale.

Our hospital system is making strides to combat the youth mental health crisis, which we declared as a state of emergency a little more than a year and a half ago. Thanks to generous donors in our community, we are creating better access to youth mental health services to improve the lives of children – and the adults they will become. The work is far from over, but together we are advancing a coordinated system of mental health care grounded in collaboration and partnership, one that provides all children with high-quality, evidence-based, youth- and family-centered care. That work is not possible without gi s from our generous and thoughtful donors. Community support helps us care for more kids than any other hospital in our seven-state region, and none of the work we do would be possible without bighearted, forward-thinking donors who believe in a better, healthier world for kids. Philanthropy ensures access to world-class pediatric expertise for every family who needs us, and your generosity is driving life-saving innovations and discoveries for kids.

While we see continuous advancements in the treatment and care of children, we must acknowledge that some families still will be spending their holidays in the hospital. We know that your support will bring comfort to these families this holiday season as they focus on the care of their children.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, Jennifer Roe Darling President and CEO

Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Changemakers magazine is a publication of Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, a nonpro t organization dedicated solely to advancing the mission of Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Editor: Jaime Berg Cady • Art Direction: John LeCrone

Contributors: Erin Bodine, Jessica Ennis

Design: Claro Creative Group • Printing: Publication Printers

KIDS

IN CRISIS

Addressing Youth Mental Health by Funding a Healthier State of Care

For some people, it may feel as if we’re on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many of our children are still dealing with e ects of the isolation that came with lockdowns, remote schooling and seeing the world as we all knew it — change. And conditions during the coronavirus only escalated a youth mental health crisis that was already reaching epidemic proportions.

Across the nation, one in ve children is living with a mental health disorder. Less than 50% of these children will ever receive appropriate treatment. Imagine if only half of the children who broke a bone this year were treated, or if children with a life-threatening disease had to wait weeks or months to be admitted into intensive care. Mental health is health. It’s fundamental to happy, healthy futures for our kids. In May 2021, Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a youth mental health state of emergency — and in the year and a half since then, the hospital continues to see record numbers of kids and youth in mental health crises. At Children’s Colorado, we’re working to advance a coordinated system of mental health care. Thanks to bold donors, we envision a day when we can provide all children with the right mental health help, including supportive, specially built environments, access to experts who are trained to address the speci c needs of patients with mental health conditions, and accessible and a ordable care.

Thanks to transformative gifts to pediatric mental health, Children’s Colorado continues to make significant investments to:

Build and strengthen our mental health workforce to ensure a pipeline of diverse professionals who are equipped to care for the growing population of children in need; trained to provide specialized care; provided with ongoing support and resources; and re ective of the populations they serve.

Increase care environments that are accessible and specially designed for youth struggling with mental health. Investments will increase care environments across the entire continuum: from expanding preventive services, to establishing specialty care outpatient environments, to ensuring rightsized in-patient and emergency options for those in crisis.

Integrate best-in-class research into clinical practice, systematically gathering and applying the most promising evidence to improve care.

Invest in family support, engagement and advocacy programs that allow youth and their loved ones to more easily access early interventions, navigate the care system with ease, and reduce stress.

CASHTON

Advocating for Better Mental Health Care Access for All Children

“At birth, we felt like something was di erent with Cashton,” said Christy, Cashton’s mom. The little boy, nicknamed Cash, didn’t cry as a newborn. Instead, he would look around wide-eyed. Christy and Chad, Cash’s dad, felt their concerns about his behavior and development o en went unheard by health care providers. Finding the right resources and services for their son was extremely challenging.

Eventually, when Cash was 3, he was diagnosed at Children’s Hospital Colorado with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which helped explain the many perplexing symptoms he had been exhibiting since birth. Once at the Children’s Colorado Special Care Clinic, which provides primary care for children with complex medical conditions, Cash’s expert team cra ed a comprehensive care plan for the young boy, who was also diagnosed with attention de cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sensory processing disorder, anxiety and dyslexia. Due to Cash’s multifaceted mental health conditions, he requires psychologists who specialize in treating children with ASD, along with outpatient and in-home therapies and in-school instruction, all of which need to be integrated and coordinated to ensure the best outcomes for him. Because his ASD was identi ed when he was a toddler, Cash received early interventions that have helped him thrive for many years in public school and learn skills he might not otherwise have acquired. Christy and Chad share their experiences and insights to help make other families’ journeys with ASD smoother since navigating the myriad supports and assistance that kids with ASD need to succeed can be confusing and overwhelming.

“Children’s Colorado helped us create a clear road map for Cashton, and it really gave us tools to manage his symptoms and help him grow,” said Chad. “A lot of people don’t get a diagnosis or the help they need until their child is 8 or 10 years old. I don’t know where we would be without the Pediatric Mental Health Institute and Children’s Colorado.”

Despite the challenges of their mental health journey with Cash, Chad and Christy feel lucky and privileged to have the network, connections, resources, and ability to access the care their son needs. Even with the advantages they possess, Chad and Christy say that getting the right services for Cash is a large nancial burden, and navigating his care is di cult for them even though they don’t face the additional barriers of racial- and income-based health disparities, speaking another language, or other challenges that many families encounter when trying to nd mental health care for their kids.

“The access to those early evaluations is critical and crucial. It’s a game changer for families.”

– Christy , Cash's mother

Christy, Chad and Cash

Photo by Laura Orozco Photography

LUTHIEN

Multicultural Care Key to Managing Mental Health Struggles

Ever since Luthien could walk, she was positive, bubbly, optimistic and ambitious. But as she grew older, she began to struggle with the challenges of her American and Latino multicultural identity and the isolation of COVID-19.

Youth Mental Health

the numbers

Luthien

– Luthien

Luthien felt she didn’t know where she belonged. She spoke Spanish at home, but English everywhere else; she wanted to better understand her heritage, but also sought to t in as a young American woman. For her parents to support her mental well-being, they needed a provider who understood the cultural nuances of her treatment and spoke Spanish and English. While these providers are currently few and far between, her family was ultimately able to nd a provider who met their needs.

Luthien was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety and admitted to the Partial Hospitalization Program at the Children’s Colorado Pediatric Mental Health Institute. There, she learned how to be rational and logical and says even to this, day she continues to use the skills she learned in the Partial Hospitalization Program.

A er her diagnosis, she was relieved to understand what was going on in her mind — and to know that mental health specialists were there to help her. She underwent intensive therapy and made friends with her fellow young patients at Children’s Colorado.

With a lot of hard work and support from Children’s Colorado, she was able to learn how to take control of her emotions and create a healthy environment and support system.

Having faced her own struggle with mental health, Luthien wanted to help other kids who were experiencing similar problems. She started a mental health club at her school to help break the stigma surrounding anxiety, depression and other conditions. Today, Luthien and her family are dedicated to advocating for the importance of mental health care for everyone, especially access to services for underserved Latino and Hispanic populations, refugees and immigrants.

mental illness begins by age 14

of mental illness begins by age 24

of people will develop mental illness at some point in their lives

years average time between the onset of mental health symptoms before treatment occurs

increase in mental health emergency visits at Children’s Colorado in 2021 compared to 2019

Suicide is a leading cause of death for youth in Colorado

“In April 2020, I turned to self-harm as a way of coping and a way to feel something. I realized that it was only a relief for a couple of seconds and then it’s a burden, it’s addicting ... A few months later, I attempted to take my own life, and I failed, thank God.”

SHELTEN

Healing in a Space Specially Designed for Kids with Eating Disorders

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Shelten was busy. He was an active high schooler - playing football and basketball and had even reached the Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts.

But at the onset of the novel coronavirus, Shelten’s eating behaviors began changing dramatically. He began to monitor his food intake, refusing to eat certain things and restricting what he put in his body.

“The isolation from school and sports was really hard,” said Sherry, Shelten’s mom. “He had a really di cult time managing the idea that he wouldn’t be able to work out, run or play football. I think when all of that started taking place, he wanted to have some control over a portion of his life.”

When he went from 170 pounds to 113 pounds, losing a third of his body weight in about ve months, his mother grew increasingly alarmed. Then on Christmas Eve 2020, Shelten was taken to the Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs Emergency Department at the recommendation of his psychiatrist. In the emergency department, the care team found that his heart rate was so low he was at risk for cardiac complications. From there, he was transferred to the hospital in Aurora and later to the Pediatric Mental Health Institute’s (PMHI) Eating Disorders Treatment Program.

Shelten spent the next ve months undergoing intensive inpatient therapy to help him recover from the disordered eating — and thought — patterns that had emerged for him during COVID. He spent not only Christmas in the hospital, but also celebrated his 16th birthday there as well, which his PMHI caregivers and fellow inpatient friends helped make enjoyable, despite the circumstances.

As part of the Children's Colorado Eating Disorders Program, parents are encouraged and invited for lunch and dinner every night and families eat together on the unit or in the cafeteria, with sta support, for coaching and assistance during the meal. This helps families gain con dence and build skills to manage di cult emotions that meal times o en trigger in both kids and parents. This specially designed environment helps promote healing.

“I feel so passionate, because I understand what I have been through and how hard it can be,” said Shelten, who is back to playing football as a fullback and middle linebacker on his high school team. “I was fortunate — but some kids don’t have help, because of insurance or for other reasons. It’s di cult. They might just be out there on their own.”

“Shelten would have died without Children’s Colorado,” added Sherry, tearing up. “There’s no way around it. And I worry about the kids who don’t have the same options.”

“I felt like if he could be anywhere, Children’s Colorado was the place ... I knew he was with the right people — and that was relieving.”

– Sherry, Shelten's mother

Shelten

Foundation’s Single Largest Gift Will Support Workforce Development to Address Youth Mental Health Crisis

George and Carol Solich, the founders of The Solich Fund, recently invested in Children’s Colorado with a historic $15 million gi in support of the hospital’s mental health e orts. The Soliches are among a group of leaders and philanthropy partners who believe that care for mental health conditions at Children's Colorado and beyond should be resourced, sta ed, studied and coordinated at the same high standard that physical health conditions are. Their gi will be used to advance Children’s Colorado’s mental health key initiatives with a focus on expanding and developing the organization’s mental health workforce. The Solich Fund gi will also support Children’s Colorado in its goal of raising $100 million in philanthropic support over the next ve years to transform the standard of pediatric mental health care. This $100 million endeavor is part of a $400 million, 5-year, system-wide investment that will build and strengthen the Children’s Colorado mental health workforce; expand care environments across a continuum ranging from prevention to inpatient and crisis services; integrate best-in-class research into clinical practice; and support families with a wrap-around approach to care. To achieve this bold vision, Children’s Colorado will make focused investments where the hospital is uniquely positioned for impact, while expanding and deepening state and community partnerships.

Carol and George Solich

“Creating a new and better way to prevent and treat pediatric mental health conditions is this generation’s greatest obstacle, but no other organization could be better poised to take on this problem than Children’s Colorado."

- George Solich

Our Youth Need Your Help

Children’s Colorado has a bold vision to address the youth mental health crisis. Our Pediatric Mental Health Institute provides a full breadth of mental health services, and we are working hard to give more kids access to the care they need, when they need it — but we need your help.

Together, we can help our kids and teens to heal and thrive. Will you join us?

Visit PMHI.org for more information.

ACCELERATING SUPPORT

Children’s Colorado is accelerating youth mental health support to improve the lives of children and the adults they will become. Children’s Colorado’s mental health e orts are being led by K. Ron-Li Liaw, MD, the Cannon Y. & Lyndia Harvey Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the hospital’s inaugural Mental Healthin-Chief, a position that is among the rst of its kind in children’s hospitals nationwide.

“Now is the time for Colorado to design and build an integrated system of care for the kids and families of this dynamic and beautiful state,” said Dr. K. Ron-Li Liaw, whose appointment was announced in January 2022. “This momentous investment from The Solich Fund will propel our ability to provide world-class care for kids’ mental health, just as we do for their physical health; a er all, mental health is health. We want Colorado’s system to be an innovative and e ective model when it comes to addressing kids’ mental health conditions, so it is with deep gratitude to the Solich family for their trust and belief in our vision as we tackle this crisis together.”

Dr. K. Ron-Li Liaw

Focusing on Child Health Research to Help Future Generations

Q&A with Ron Sokol, MD, newly named Chief Scienti c O cer, Child Health

Dr. Sokol , the Bruce and Bev Wagner Family Endowed Chair for Child Health Research, will lead our child health research enterprise into the future. He has run a basic science laboratory for more than 35 years and led translational and clinical research related to pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology, publishing more than 280 articles and 125 book chapters or review articles.

Why is now the time to accelerate discovery in child health research?

With advances in science, technology, data management and big data analytics, we now have a unique opportunity to nd answers to questions about diseases that we could never answer before. We can uncover ways to prevent disease and improve the health of children and the adults they will become. We can create opportunities to collaborate with others on the Anschutz Medical Campus and around the nation like we’ve never been able to before. This is opening a new era for the application of discoveries to improve child health, including basic, clinical, translational and healthcare delivery research. Today, we can translate these discoveries into better care for children in all our communities and better prevention of disease across populations.

What do you see as the new frontier for pediatric healthcare?

There is a lot of potential with new therapies, including cell-based and regenerative therapies, gene therapies and new drugs and devices. At Children’s Colorado, we are making big investments in child health. Thanks to generous donations in the elds of precision medicine and cancer research, we are taking our child health research enterprise to the next level. I hope to foster that momentum across all areas of the hospital while cultivating a rich collaboration with scienti c peers and colleagues on our campus and across the country

What is your biggest hope for kids as you take on this new role?

My hope is to cure or prevent childhood diseases and to prevent adult diseases in childhood. We know that many adult diseases have their precursors before birth or in the rst few years of life. The challenge is, how can we predict and intervene early in pregnancy or childhood to prevent these chronic diseases that account for much of adult illness and mortality? Our focus on research across the human lifespan will continue to advance the health of children and improve their lifelong well-being. I want every child to live the healthy, hopeful life they deserve. With donor support, we can pursue cuttingedge ideas and outside-the-box thinking that will translate into great advances. It is only through research that we can discover the cures, treatments and therapies of tomorrow, while saving lives today.

Dr. Ron Sokol

$10 Million Investment Focuses on Research in Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders

Laura Barton and her family established the Peter Barton Family Fund for Clinical and Translational Research, named after Laura's late husband. This landmark donation will increase the pace at which CCBD (Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Colorado) clinical trials can be opened, and the number of treatments that can be offered to patients who need new therapy options most. It will bolster investigator-initiated studies and expedite groundbreaking treatments by catalyzing the development of personalized therapies for cancer and blood disorders – and beyond. It will also allow the team to recruit and retain the best and brightest in cancer and blood disorders research and lay the groundwork for our visionary, forward-thinking precision medicine work.

Betsey Searle (left) and Laura Barton (right), two generous donors, wear superhero capes during a visit at Children’s Colorado.

Section Head of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, and the Ergen Family Chair for Pediatric Oncology

Building on a Proven Framework

• Children’s Colorado consistently ranks among the top 10 pediatric cancer programs nationwide. It is the only top 10 program in a 1,000-mile radius.

• The hospital provides access to 400+ clinical studies for cancer, more than any other institution in a 12-state region. Children’s Colorado is the region’s largest, most active site for the Children’s Oncology Group, which provides patients access to the most cutting-edge therapies available.

• The culture of research at Children’s Colorado is unique, strengthened by close collaboration with the world-class institutions housed on the Anschutz Medical Campus — including the University of Colorado Hospital and University of Colorado School of Medicine.

• Our faculty are national leaders on the front-end of cancer research breakthroughs.

“ This gift will not only change the lives of the children we treat at Children’s Colorado, but it will also undoubtedly have a ripple impact in how we care for, treat and even cure these diseases worldwide.”

– LIA GORE, MD

$5 Million Gift Advances Precision Medicine

Elizabeth “Betsy” Searle made a commitment to advance one of the largest initiatives in the history of Children’s Colorado: expanding precision medicine to treat and cure childhood cancer. Her gi will allow our team of experts to diagnose children faster, treat them more e ectively and develop individually tailored cures that could one day eliminate the e ects of devastating diseases.

“This gi is motivated by my belief in this institution and its leaders, and because I want to be in the business of changing lives and the world, physically, emotionally and spiritually. With this gi and partnership with Children’s Colorado, I believe that collectively, we will do just that.”

The gi to precision medicine also carries on the legacy of the company started by Betsy’s great-grandfather in the late 1800s — G.D. Searle and Co., which focused its future on the research and development of new, life-changing prescription and overthe-counter medicines that have impacted countless people’s lives across a broad range of conditions. Betsy was especially inspired by her grandfather, John “Jack” G. Searle, who built the company throughout the 1930s until its sale in 1985. His in uence in research and development helped the company thrive and is where her interest in research is grounded.

G.D. Searle

John

Panda Express Creates Makerspace for Tweens

The Panda Cares® Center of Hope is designed to provide a safe and comforting place where kids can be kids again. Thanks to a generous $8.3 million gi from Panda Express® through its Panda Cares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Panda Restaurant Group, Children’s Colorado patients and families can now use a makerspace to create, learn and explore. This is the hospital’s largest corporate gi in the organization’s history. The state-of-the art makerspace is out tted with computers, 3D printers, green screens, laser cutters, digital instruments and more!

The makerspace is located in the Patricia Crown Family T(w)een Zone, located at Children’s Colorado on the Anschutz Campus.

The T(w)een Zone is a safe, therapeutic healing environment designed to meet the needs of our teen and “tween” patients and their families

Emma, 18

“In the Panda Cares Center of Hope, patients can make something – with a 3D printer or even a laser cutter, while being treated at the hospital – how awesome is that? If I had this space while I was in inpatient care, it would have been a great distraction.”

– Emma, patient ambassador

Canvas Credit Union Supports Lifesaving Blood Donations

Thanks to a $2 million gift from Canvas Credit Union, a new fleet of bloodmobiles will be able to gather blood across the Front Range, covering a 100-mile radius from Boulder to Colorado Springs. Every year at Children’s Hospital Colorado, sick and injured kids receive more than 10,000 units of lifesaving blood products, such as platelets, plasma and whole blood. Nearly 65% of the whole blood collected through blood drives comes from bloodmobiles, so each drive is invaluable to the blood supply for Children’s Colorado and saves kids’ lives. With the generous help of Canvas Credit Union, Children’s Colorado can continue to meet the transfusion needs of our young patients. Canvas' support of the hospital’s blood donation efforts helps gather blood in the most efficient way possible.

Marissa, 16, sustained life-threatening injuries and lost over half of her blood volume due to internal and external bleeding from a car accident. Several units of blood transfusions — made possible by our Blood Donor Center — saved her life.

2221 Society Raises Funds for Outdoor Healing Patios and End-of-Life Care

The 2221 Society, formed in 2018, is a group of emerging leaders driven to change the landscape of pediatric healthcare by supporting a speci c hospital initiative each year. To date they have raised over $2 million, blazing past the group’s fundraising goals with no end in sight. In 2022, the group chose to fundraise for the upgrade and renovation of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) patios. Right now, Children’s Hospital Colorado has two outdoor patios, but these spaces are not currently equipped to o er all of the essential elements required for the outdoor treatment, safety, security and privacy of kids and families, all of which are key to healing in natural surroundings. “Currently, we have raised $485,000, and by the end of the year we expect to be close to $650,000, exceeding our goal by nearly $150,000,” said Alex Schomers, Chair of The 2221 Society.

With the renovation, there will be a two separate spaces, a family-centered patio and a patient-focused patio. The family-centered patio will create a space for parents and caregivers to be outside — for a meal, a breath of fresh air, contemplation and seclusion — without having to leave the hospital. The patient-focused patio will be dedicated to palliative and end-of-life care. A common end-of-life wish from children is to be outside with their loved ones — and giving kids and families ownership and autonomy surrounding these moments is a critical piece of their journey and transition. “As a group, once we were presented with the opportunity to fundraise for the PICU patio project, we immediately knew we had to turn these wishes into reality and get it done,” said Schomers. To make these hopes possible, even for the most complex conditions, the patient patio will be equipped with electricity, outlets, hospital bed umbrellas and all the support needed for medical equipment and treatments, including chemotherapy. This space will be able to accommodate NICU babies as well.

Join the 2221 Society in making an impact at Children’s Colorado and help make a di erence in the lives of our patients.

For more information, please visit 2221society.org

Family-centered patio rendering.

So Lounge Seating So Lounge and Bench Seating

Covered Cafe Tables and Chairs Decorative Fence

Tree Canopy and Service Area

“We are a group of doers, and I think that’s been evident over the past four years; we have exceeded our goal every year.”

– ALEX SCHOMERS

Chair of The 2221 Society

Help Kids and Save on Taxes

Colorado residents who make a qualifying gi * to Children’s Hospital Colorado are eligible for a generous state income tax credit of up to 25%.

Adalyn, 5

Colorado

Credit

In 2022, a qualifying gi is de ned as an outright gi (unrelated to a special event) of at least $250 to Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation speci cally designated toward the Enterprise Zone program in support of our Cancer and Blood Disorders Research Fund, Child Health Research Fund, Pediatric Mental Health General Fund, Innovation Fund, or Heart Institute Fund.

A gi to the Enterprise Zone provides a 25% credit against Colorado state income tax if giving an outright gi of cash or a 12.5% credit for gi s of appreciated stock. This information is of a general nature and should not be construed as legal, accounting or tax advice. Every taxpayer’s situation is di erent, and tax laws are constantly changing. Please consult a tax advisor prior to taking any action based on this information.

A Mother’s Love

Endowed Fund from Pioneering Founder of the Young Mother's Clinic is a Gi for Generations to Come

A lot has happened over the course of Dr. Ida Nakashima’s lifetime. The 98-year-old has witnessed a great deal — the Great Depression, an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II and a tuberculosis diagnosis that landed her in the hospital for nearly a year — all prior to her trailblazing medical career as a pediatrician. Along the way, Dr. Nakashima undoubtedly changed the lives of thousands of children, adolescents and young mothers.

In the late 1970s, Dr. Nakashima helped start the Young Mother’s Clinic at Children’s Colorado. Back then, the clinic provided care to adolescent moms younger than 18 years old, giving them frequent appointments, guidance and education about being a new mom. Last year this same clinic that Dr. Nakashima founded over 40 years ago served more than 1,000 mothers, providing them and their children with a patient-centered medical home focused on parenting and mental health support, future healthy pregnancies, family planning and educational goals and enrollment.

Dr. Nakashima (top) in her o ce in 1956. Dr. Nakashima (right) with her children in 1965 who were 4 and 7 at the time.

Today, when a young mother comes to the clinic at the Children’s Colorado Health Pavilion, they receive care from a team of providers from pediatrics, psychiatry, OB/GYN and behavioral health. On top of clinical care for mothers and their children, the team at Children’s Colorado provides psychosocial support for these young families. The Young Mother’s Clinic celebrates its patients with gi cards for things like birthdays, graduations and holidays and provides help to purchase diapers, food and other necessities.

Dr. Nakashima’s children, Lisa and Chris, have graciously set up an endowed fund in their mother’s honor to help the clinic provide these special touches for its patients as the clinic carries on their mother’s legacy more than 40 years a er she helped create it.

“As a physician, I wanted to spend more time with these kids because they didn’t understand what pregnancy and motherhood entailed. I wanted to answer their questions.”

– DR. IDA NAKASHIMA

“I want to keep the clinic strong and carry on my original hope for more frequent and supportive care for the young mothers and their babies.”

– DR. IDA NAKASHIMA

Dr. Nakashima with her children, Chris(le ), Lisa(center) and husband, Dr. Stuart Schneck(right) on her 93rd birthday in 2016.

“There is nothing more gratifying than providing care to mothers and their children in the same medical home and medical visit. We know that a mother’s mental health, physical health and social stressors can impact a child at an early age and in the Young Mother’s Clinic we work to support all of these for our young families. I am very grateful for Dr. Nakashima’s forethought and for her generosity in establishing this endowed fund.”

Funding the Future of Research to Help Prevent Children from Going Blind

Emily McCourt, MD, Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children’s Colorado, can see a future where children no longer go blind from genetic eye disease. She was recently named as the inaugural Ponzio Family Chair for Pediatric Ophthalmology. Thanks to Craig Ponzio’s generosity, Children’s Colorado will establish the rst pediatric genetic eye disease program in the region. “The impact this gi will have on children with blinding eye diseases will be remarkable. I am so grateful for this philanthropic support, which will help patients and families navigate a di cult diagnosis, along with creating opportunities for research to cure childhood blindness,” said McCourt.

With this gi , Children’s Colorado will establish a program that will allow kids to receive complex eye care in a pediatric setting with multiple eye specialists, physicians specializing in genetics and genetic counselors.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to partner with Children’s Colorado to help prevent children from going blind,” said Ponzio. “I’m con dent in Dr. McCourt’s leadership and her team’s ability to make a huge impact on children with eye disease.”

Craig Ponzio has funded six endowed chairs at Children’s Colorado, as well as other programs, including the Ponzio Creative Arts Therapy Program, which is nationally renowned.

There are now 60 endowed chairholders at Children’s Colorado. An endowed chair is a generous commitment by a donor to recognize and promote excellence in pediatric health care and signi es the hospital’s commitment and a donor’s interest to support the recipient’s work for the long term.

A named chair is a prestigious honor accorded by Children’s Colorado and is reserved for the most distinguished scientists, clinicians, academicians and leaders.

Learn more about our endowed chair program at Supportchildrenscolorado.org/give/endowed-chairs

Emily McCourt, MD, Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology

Photo: University of Colorado Medicine

Photo: University of Colorado Medicine

University of Colorado Medicine

Hana Smith, MD, Medical Director, Young Mothers Clinic

Courage Classic Comeback Tour Makes Big Comeback

The annual Courage Classic Bicycle Tour was fully back in person July 16 and 17. The cycling tour was held at Copper Mountain Resort and led riders on 10- to 80-mile routes through the beautiful Colorado mountains. Riders, volunteers and supporters brought generosity, energy and determination to the Comeback Tour for patients and families at Children’s Colorado.

A Night of Celebration at the Children’s Gala “Homecoming”

A er two years of modi ed celebrations, donors and community supporters gathered for a Children’s Gala “homecoming.” It was a heartwarming evening of grace, gratitude and celebration for our Children’s Colorado community. Guests enjoyed drinks, dinner and entertainment led by emcee, Jason Kotas, from the hospital’s transport team. Children’s Colorado patient ambassador, Emma, spoke about her mental health journey at Children’s Colorado and the importance of funding for pediatric mental health services. She was joined on stage by George and Carol Solich, philanthropists who recently gave the largest gi the hospital has received to date. Our generous supporters took part in a silent auction, live auction and paddle raise helping to raise more than $2.9 million! Comedian Jim Ga gan made our “homecoming” both impactful and hilarious! The night was topped o with a dance party!

Emma, patient ambassador, speaks to the crowd about her mental health journey.

Guests take in the festivities at the Gala “homecoming.”

Stand-up comedian and actor, Jim Ga gan, entertained the crowd.

George and Carol Solich speak to the crowd about the importance of funding mental health services.

Hundreds of Children’s Colorado supporters raise their paddles during the auction portion of the evening.

Children’s Colorado CEO and President, Jena Hausmann, and President and CEO of the Children’s Colorado Foundation, Jen Darling, welcome supporters.

The evening ended with a dance party with musical entertainment from the band, PULSE.

Jason Kotas, captivated the crowd when sharing his personal experiences at Children’s Colorado.

Philanthropy on the Farm Event Raises Money for Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs

Generous supporters from across the southern Colorado region gathered Aug. 26 for the second annual Philanthropy on the Farm event, which raised more than $740,000 for Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs. The casual, outdoor, farm-to-table experience with a reception, multi-course dinner with locally sourced ingredients and wine pairings was held at Flying Horse Ranch.

Former Pediatric Mental Health patient ambassador, Kate, with Sally Hybl, a Children’s Colorado Foundation Trustee.

Judy and William Mackey

Greg Raymond, Southern Region President, Children’s Colorado speaks to the crowd.

Sarah and Chris Dole

Le to Right - Sophia Burgo, Taylor Wolf, Mindi Linscombe, Alexandra Hamlin, Christine King, Kedra Birdsell

Children’s Colorado supporters gathered to take in the festivities, which even included a mule adorned in owers at Flying Horse Ranch.

Leave a Legacy of Hope and Healing

Consider an estate gift to Children’s Hospital Colorado

Let us know about your plans to make a gift to Children’s Colorado through your will before the end of the year, and a $1,000 gift will be made in your honor, thanks to an anonymous donor. It just takes a moment to let us know of your estate plans, and you can unlock $1,000 to help kids today!