"Kempe Takes Manhattan" Benefit Dinner

Last week Friday, I was fortunate enough to help photograph the Kempe Takes Manhatten Benefit dinner and auction. The Kempe Foundation is a wonderful organization that focuses specifically on the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. There are some amazing people working within this foundation and who has a more humble goal than to eradicate the abuse of all children?! Bravo, Kempe.

I was asked to participate after Kelsey Bigelow got involved. She's amazing!...and between her and I and Kristi Crossen, I'm pretty sure we got some excellent shots of this event.

This dinner was held at the Denver Marriott City Center and was themed "Kempe Takes Manhattan" and was entirely mimicked off of New York City's greatest attributes. There was a pantomime, a trendy club, street vendors and acts, and even a hot-dog stand. =) Newberry Brothers Greenhouse and Florist also participated by selling flowers with proceeds going directly to the foundation.

Master of ceremonies that night was Mike Nelson from Channel 7 News! This was definitely a highlight for me as I've watched his weather reports almost my entire life. While it was fantastic to finally get a few shots of him, I spent most of my time photographing the scenery and flood of beautiful people who came to support this noble cause.

After a fabulous dinner, auction, and tribute to Mrs. Imhoff (a woman who had dedicated nearly her entire life to the cause), the foundation ended the evening with performances by the children of the Denver School of the Arts and a night full of dancing at their "Studio 54"-themed club!

I have felt many times I haven't contributed to such noble causes enough...but volunteering at this event has certainly brought me joy and a sense of hope for those children who are still suffering. My hat's off to those of you who have worked so hard at making Kempe a household name for so many!

Enjoy a few photos of the night.

Cheers!