If Tim Tebow responds as quickly on the field as he did for the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado, the Denver Broncos are going to be very happy with their rookie quarterback.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, chosen by the Broncos in the first-round 2010 NFL draft, arrived in Denver last Thursday, and by midday Friday he had scored big with the local charity by autographing a football to be included in the auction that was part of Saturday’s La Dolce Vita, a gala benefiting the foundation’s Jason Fleishman Summer Camp.
Tebow’s participation happened because event chair Candy Palazzo is friends with Kelly McCoy, whose husband, Mike, is the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Candy and Kelly play tennis together, and so Candy felt comfortable asking if there was any chance of getting the much-talked-about player to donate something for the auction.
“Kelly said she’d be happy to find out — and within 24 hours of his arrival, I was picking up the autographed ball,” a happy Palazzo told us as fans hovered over the bid sheet during the social hour that preceded dinner at RedLine Gallery.
Attorney Craig Fleishman established the summer camp after the death of his son, Jason, and was at La Dolce Vita with his wife, Layne; son, Gavin; and a group of friends from Denver’s law and philanthropic communities.
In addition to the Tebow football, the other thing that generated considerable excitement was an announcement that entrepreneur Tom Gordon was donating $100,000 to the foundation’s Leadership Fund for Youth in honor of his wife Brooke’s birthday. Gordon also pledged to contribute an additional $50,000 a year for the next 10 years.
Alexis Perlmutter spoke about living with epilepsy to an audience that also included her dad, U.S. Sen. Ed Perlmutter, and his friend Nancy Henderson; Kathy and Rob Klugman; Mona and Steve Shapiro; and Doug Tisdale, with girlfriend Katie Carrol.
There’s much more to say about this special evening, and it’s in my Seen First blog: blogs.denverpost.com/davidson
Coming right up.
Founding board member John Low is to receive the Cal Frazier Investing in Education Award when the Public Education & Business Coalition hosts its annual luncheon. The Reisher Family Foundation and Barb Stallings, principal of North Star Elementary School, also are recipients and will be introduced during the event that begins at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Colorado Convention Center’s Korbel Ballroom. Call 303-861-8661. . . . Also on Thursday, “Hope’s Boy” author Andrew Bridge delivers the keynote address for a dinner benefiting Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center. The festivities emceed by former state Rep. Debbie Stafford begin at 5:30 p.m. at Infinity Park Event Center. Call 303-692- 1165. . . . Intergenerational Idols, Friday night’s talent showcase benefiting Bessie’s Hope, features 10 acts by performers under the age of 18 or older than 65, according to co-chairs Frances Owens, LaFawn Biddle and Adam Angelich. There’s also dinner and a silent auction, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Marriott Denver Tech Center. Call 303-623-1176.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, blogs.denverpost.com/ davidson and GetItWrite on Twitter
