Denver Urban Gardens and Denver Parks & Recreation Present Flourish!

Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) and Denver Parks & Recreation present Flourish!, a community-wide event to celebrate DUG’s 25th anniversary and 100th community garden at Ruby Hill Park.

Since 1985, DUG has continued to fulfill its mission of helping communities grow, one urban garden at a time, by offering neighborhoods the essential resources for community gardens, including on-going technical expertise and support.

Residents are invited to this free celebration at Ruby Hill Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010. Local media and key community leaders will join DUG at Ruby Hill for a groundbreaking ceremony of DUG’s 100th community garden site.

“DUG’s 100th garden is an incredible milestone,” said Michael Buchenau, executive director at DUG. “We selected Ruby Hill Park for the garden location because of its incredible history, beautiful views and proximity to neighborhoods that can benefit from a community garden.”

Following the groundbreaking, attendees will be entertained by a cooking competition and community concert sponsored by Swallow Hill.

Local chefs from seven of Denver’s great restaurants will compete, using locally-grown, fresh ingredients and the winner will be determined by a panel of local celebrities. Participants include Bistro One, Limon, Jonsey’s EatBar, Root Down, Village Cork, Black Pearl and WaterCourse Foods.

Throughout the day, families will also have the opportunity to interact with hands-on garden and sustainability-themed activities.

Swallow Hill will host a concert of an all-star lineup of musical acts, including national singer/songwriters Patty Larkin and Lucy Kaplansky, national children’s musician Justin Roberts and local Latin reggae band, Mono Verde.

The community is encouraged to bike to Flourish! and bring a picnic lunch.

“Ruby Hill is fast becoming the cornerstone of our redevelopment of the Platte River corridor,” said Kevin Patterson, Manager of Denver Parks and Recreation. “Combining the future Gates Redevelopment Project, the Denver Moves pedestrian and bicycle trail improvements and the construction at Ruby Hill, including this community garden, will assure that Ruby Hill becomes the destination it is meant to be.”

To find out more about Flourish!, visit www.dug.org/flourish.

About Denver Urban Gardens:
Since 1985, Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) has operated and assisted with the creation and management of metro-area community gardens. DUG provides opportunities for low- to moderate-income populations in urban neighborhoods, to supplement their diet with produce grown in nearby community gardens. Through community gardening, participants assume responsibility to improve their community, initiate a sense of pride in their surroundings and improve their nutritional status through healthy, fresh food. For more information or to find your nearest garden, call (303) 292-9900 or visit www.dug.org.

About Denver Parks & Recreation:
Denver Parks + Recreation (DPR) offers nearly 3,000 acres of traditional parks and parkways, 2,000 urban natural acres and close to 8,000 acres of urban forest within the city alone. It is unique in that it also offers nearly 14,000 acres of mountain park land. The system has evolved from the early years of jungle gyms and swings to more than two dozen recreation centers and 17 outdoor pools offering high-quality programs.

Wilhelmina Denver Signs Denver Broncos Player Jarvis Green

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Wilhelmina Denver is announcing the official signing of Jarvis Green of the Denver Broncos to a marketing and endorsement contract.

“We are very excited to sign Green to our Sports Board, as he is Wilhelmina Denver’s first professional athlete from the state of Colorado,” Wilhelmina Denver Sports Director Patrick Brougham stated. “Green is a very valued veteran on the current Broncos squad with two Super Bowl rings to his credit.”

Wilhelmina Sports, based in New York City, represents a roster of talent that includes world-renowned golf instructor David Leadbetter, Utah Jazz basketball player Andrei Kirilenko, U.S. Olympic speed skater Allison Baver, seven LPGA golfers, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Terrell Owens, former world champion boxer Roy Jones Jr., and Kansas City Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, amongst others.

Wilhelmina Sports helps create, develop, and maintain the brand identity of artists and athletes through securing major fashion and beauty campaigns, endorsements, and marketing opportunities for its artists with companies such as MAC, Avon, Brown Shoe, Coca-Cola, Cover Girl, Dessert Beauty, Donna Karan, Hershey’s, Hugo Boss, L’Oreal, Mattel, Nautica, Nestle, Nike, Pizza Hut, and more.

Wilhelmina Denver Sports Director Patrick Brougham is no stranger to the world of sports sponsorships and endorsements. Brougham spent over three years in the marketing department of the Denver Broncos securing corporate sponsorships. He then moved on to Director of Marketing with top NFL sport agency, All Pro Sports & Entertainment (APSE), based in Cherry Creek, where he garnered sponsorships and endorsements for the athletes.

“It is our vision to streamline the marketing and endorsement opportunities in the Rocky Mountain region for the tremendous amount of sports celebrities in this market, and the signing of Jarvis Green is our first step in being able to accomplish that goal,” finished Brougham.

Learn more about Patrick Brougham and Wilhelmina Denver by visiting www.wilhelminadenver.com.

Westminster Resident Missy Peterson Competes in U.S. Transplant Games

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A local group of athletes who share a unique bond are coming together for an athletic competition unlike any other—the National Kidney Foundation 2010 U.S. Transplant Games. Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the Games are an Olympic-style competition for recipients of life-saving transplants, including kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas and bone marrow. Organized by the National Kidney Foundation Serving CO, MT, and WY, Team Rocky Mountain will participate in the event to be held July 30 to August 4 in Madison, Wisconsin.

One athlete from Team Rocky Mountain is Missy Peterson, a Westminster resident, who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 18 months old and received a lung transplant at the age of 24.

Here is Missy’s story in her own words:

“I began the first journey of my life when I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 18 months. I am now 37 years old and 13 years, 6 months post transplant. Growing up with a terminal illness was really the same to me as growing up healthy, since I only knew one way of living. I was able to do everything my friends did except for the frequent hospitalizations, and my family and friends treated me like a normal child. Into my high school and college years, my health began to deteriorate and my doctors began leading me to the next journey of my life.

At the urgencies of my doctors, I was listed in July of 1996 for a transplant and received one that December.

For the past 13 years, I have lived my life doing all the things I enjoy and more than I ever thought I would in my lifetime. I have participated in five U.S. Transplant Games and one World Transplant Games, taking in a total of 13 medals. I am in training once again for the 2010 U.S. Games in Madison. One of my biggest passions and the main event I compete in at the Games is swimming.

I am a firm believer that attitude is everything, and I am living proof that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Set goals for yourself, put a plan in place, and you will achieve those goals. Life has been good to me so far.”

Held biennially, the National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games draw transplant athletes from across the country who compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in one or more of 12 sports, including cycling, golf, racquetball, swimming, tennis, and track and field events. With an anticipated 7,000 athletes participating, the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games promise to be the largest-ever gathering of transplant recipients.

More than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for transplants of vital organs. Eighteen people die each day while waiting.

For questions or to find out how you can support Team Rocky Mountain, call Lynn Hellickson at 720.748.9991 ext. 113 or visit www.transplantgames.org.

National Kidney Foundation Hosts Second Annual Billings Kidney Walk

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The National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana and Wyoming will host the Second Annual Billings Kidney Walk on Saturday, September 18 at Pioneer Park (Virginia Lane and Avenue D, Billings).

Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Walkers can register beforehand by visiting www.kidneywalk.org or calling Mary Hoadley at 800-263-4005 ext. 110. There is no registration fee, but all walkers are encouraged to fundraise. Individuals who raise $100 or more receive an official Kidney Walk t-shirt. Additional prizes are based on the amount of money raised by each participant.

Beginning at 10:00 a.m., the one to two-mile, non-competitive walk will raise funds and awareness of early prevention of kidney and urinary tract diseases and the need for organ donation.

“This is the second year for the Billings Kidney Walk,” said Kathy Wegner, Regional Vice President of the foundation. “Last year, we raised $25,000 to assist local patient, education, and prevention programs, with more than 83 cents of every dollar raised going back to local Montana services.”

The event will raise funds to support the various patient and community assistance programs, as well as kidney health screenings in Montana.

The National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming is dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract disease, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more information, visit www.kidneycmw.org.