DENVER – CU Denver alumni, administrators and well wishers donned cowboy boots and hats to for the March 11 Rock Bottom Ruckus — raising $47,000 for student scholarships.
In partnership with the Rock Bottom Brewery on Denver’s 16th Street Mall, the annual fundraising event started more than 20 years ago. Last night’s event attracted 170 well-wishers.
The restaurant closes the doors to the public for the evening’s festivities. And all food, beverages and service are donated by the Rock Bottom Brewery. Tickets for group tables and individual tickets are sold for $85 (individual) to $2,000 (tables).
A range of donated goods and services are offered through a silent auction. This year’s items included certificates to local restaurants, trips and wines. “One trip went for $2,500,” said Julie Mullin, associate director, Alumni Relations. “Some of the bids on wine items even came in over the donor values.” Altogether, there were more than 100 auction items including an Xbox and Kinect gaming system, artwork and resort packages. Ultimately, all proceeds from the evening go to fund scholarships.
Current students (see top photo) who are alumni scholarship recipients served as the night’s “runners” to collect payment for the silent auction items. The Alumni Association awards scholarships to full-time undergraduate students of $2,500 and graduate students are awarded $3,000.
The evening’s donors included FirstBank at $10,000, which included a corporate table of 10. Public Service Credit Union purchased a table of 10 as well and provided a $500 gift certificate on Southwest Airlines for the night’s drawing. Photography of the festivities was donated by McBoat Photography.