Helping break the cycle of nicotine

Spring into a new season with the LSO e Lakewood Symphony Orchestra is welcoming spring with the latest entry in its Season of Favorites with a performance of some beautiful music. e performance will be at 7:30 p.m. on ursday, March 9 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway.

Some of the music the symphony will be performing include Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Coronation March,” followed by music from the ballet “Coppélia,” a story that predates Pinnochio by 13 years but follows a similar storyline. e show will also feature Brahms’ “Symphony No. 2 in D major.”

For more information and tickets, visit www.lakewoodsymphony.org.

Pictures worth more than a thousand words at MOP Denver e Month of Photography Denver, which runs through Friday, March 31, allows the work of photographers of all skill levels and interests the opportunity to show- case their talents. e biennial event is celebrated by galleries and arts organizations all over the state

One of the most inspiring events in this year’s lineup is the free Night Lights Denver, which will be held at the Daniels & Fisher Clocktower, 1601 Arapahoe St. in Denver. e Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) will be digitally projecting images on the building to celebrate the month. For a full list of events and participating locations, visit https://denvermop.org/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — The Lagoons at the Bluebird Theater

Sometimes you just need something smooth to get you through the day. e music multi-instrumentalist brothers Ryan and Joey Selan make as e Lagoons ful ll the brief beautifully. Over their three EPs and two albums (including last year’s “Daybreak”), the duo has ne-tuned a vibey electronic take on yacht and surf rock that can just carry you away to somewhere warmer if you let it.

In support of the record, e Lagoons will be stopping by the Bluebird eater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15. ey’ll be joined by opener Jelly Ellington. Get tickets at www.bluebirdtheater.net.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.

Make-A-Wish Colorado alumni, volunteers celebrate its 40th anniversary

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

2023 has already been a big year for Make-A-Wish.

Wish Week fundraisers have been in full swing at local schools this winter, and basketball legend Michael Jordan donated $10 million — the largest individual donation ever — to the national organization last month. And spring 2023 could be even bigger.

Make-A-Wish Colorado celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and is hosting an anniversary celebration and fundraiser in April in Denver. Since it started, Make-A-Wish Colorado has granted more than 6,000 wishes for children with critical illnesses as a way of giving them hope and something to look forward to during their treatment.

Golden’s Ben Bontrager, 10, went to Hawaii for his wish last spring. He was diagnosed in early 2020 with Burkitt’s lymphoma and was sick for almost a year, with his mom Sarah saying, “We almost lost him a couple times.”

Ben, who’s now in remission, said going to Hawaii was “the rst thing idea that popped in my head,” because he wanted to get out and do something fun.

“I was sick of being home,” he continued.

Now, Ben and his family are becoming Make-A-Wish ambassadors so that they can help other families through the same process.

Dad Je Bontrager said Ben’s wish was a “bright spot” to think about during those long days at the hospital, adding, “ e thought that (MakeA-Wish) has done it over and over for people, it’s really pretty amazing.”

For Jennifer

Joan Mazak has been the proverbial fairy godmother for thousands of Colorado children after she founded the organization in 1983. She started it in honor of her daughter, Jennifer, who died at 7 years old of a liver disease.

Mazak recalled how, about a week before Jennifer’s death, she was granted an uno cial wish to meet local radio mascot KIMN Chicken. He stopped by the family’s house, walking around the entire property hand-in-hand with Jennifer. Many of the neighborhood children stopped by to see KIMN Chicken, but he was focused on making Jennifer feel special.

“It was great for her to be able to have that,” Mazak said.

After Jennifer’s death, Mazak used funds that people had raised for a liver donation to start Make-A-Wish

Colorado. ere were only three other chapters in the country and no national organization yet, she said. e local chapter was all volunteers working out of their homes, helping to create memories for children who needed them. Mazak said the very rst wish was to catch a sh, so they set up a shing trip at Dillon Reservoir.

Longtime volunteer Gary Aboussie recalled wishes to meet the pope and the Broncos. One of his favorite stories was sending a guitar to Bruce Springsteen to sign, him keeping that one, and sending back his own guitar instead with a special message. Mazak said of wishes: “ ey come in all shapes and sizes. ere are so many logistics to putting together a single wish. It’s di erent for every single family.”