WEEK OF APRIL 3, 2025
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 40
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Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation raises $580,000 at 13th Annual Gala SEE WHO WON TACO MADNESS
Gala proceeds help families with sick or injured children pay vital expenses
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BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
KIDS ON THEIR OWN IN P10 MUNICIPAL COURT
The Arvada Kite Festival will return on April 13 this year. COURTESY CITY OF ARVADA
Arvada Kite Festival to return for 20th year ARVADA CENTER ANNOUNCES SUMMER CONCERTS P15
2025
VOTE NOW March 1st - April 15th
Annual high-flying festivities enter second decade BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Well, if you’re looking to the skies in Arvada on April 13, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s actually a kite! The Arvada Kite Festival will return for its 20th year, with festivities kicking off at the Stenger Sports Complex at 11 a.m. and running until 4 p.m. The event is free to the public and will feature professional kite demonstrations from the Rocky Mountain Kite Association, over 100 vendor booths and more food trucks than in years past. The professionals won’t be the only ones flying kites, as anyone from the community is welcome to take advantage of the event’s typi-
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cally ideal wind conditions. Folks can bring their own kites or purchase them at the event, and the Majestic View Nature Center is hosting make-a-kite classes on April 11 and 12 so that everyone has a chance to get in on the fun. Adelle Burton, Arvada’s special events manager, said she was proud to see the event move into its 20th year. “The Arvada Kite Festival has grown into one of our community’s most beloved traditions, and we’re thrilled to celebrate its 20th year,” Burton said. “It’s incredible to see thousands of families, friends and kite enthusiasts come together for a day of fun, creativity and connection. “Whether you’re flying a kite for the first time or you’ve been coming for years, this year’s festival will be a special milestone for everyone,” Burton continued. The Stenger Sports Complex is located at 58th Avenue and Quail Street. Pets and barbeque grills are not permitted at the event.
A bountiful evening ended up raising a substantial amount of money for the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation during its 13th Annual Kaleidoscope Gala, which garnered $580,000 for the organization. Funds from the gala, which was held at The Ritz-Carlton Denver on Feb. 22, will go toward helping families with a sick or injured child pay for vital expenses such as gas money, help with mortgages or rent and other things that fall by the wayside when a child comes down with a serious illness. Cathy Sandoval, Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation’s CEO, said that transportation becomes a necessity for many families when they are seeking care for their sick child. “Let’s say you’re living in rural Colorado, for instance, and unfortunately, your child comes down,” Sandoval said. “That means multiple appointments. It means car rides, missing work, all that kind of stuff. So, we step in and support them in whatever way makes more sense to them, like maybe they need just gas cards so they can get back and forth. “Occasionally, the treatment is so intensive that these families are missing so much work that they end up almost on the edge of eviction or losing their homes,” Sandoval continued. “So, we can even step in and pay their mortgage or their rent to keep them housed, so they’ve got somewhere to return to … If we can step in and help just take care of that problem, then they can focus on their child, which is what we’re all about.” The Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation serves 1,700 families through its payment assistance program, with an additional 6,000 to 7,000 families receiving smaller levels of assistance, such as car seats, books or other resources the nonprofit provides. SEE GALA, P6
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