Patrick’s Place Has Lucky Charm
By Bonnie Cretti
On Monday, February 25th, the fourth Sopris 100 Who Care event was held at the Old Thompson Barn at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale, CO. This semi-annual event is a wonderful way to meet new women, socialize with old friends, network, and find common ground in support of our local community and its many good works. Each attendee contributes $100 and pays a $15 cover charge for wine and appetizers. The funds are counted and rewarded to one charitable recipient by night’s end.
This year, the deserving recipient of $10,200 was Patrick’s Place, an in-progress dream in memory of Patrick Palardy. It is being planned within the auspices of Stepping Stones, an after-school program in Carbondale. Patrick’s Place hopes to provide local valley students with a plethora of programs and opportunities: activities, school help, counseling, and other valuable resources. Amber Bate gave an emotional pitch for Patrick’s Place that succeeded in garnering the popular votes needed to win the award. Two other deserving candidates for the award were The Compassion Fest and the Roaring Fork High School’s Project Graduation.
Anyone in attendance is invited to nominate a worthwhile organization or cause — a non-profit, a program, even an individual or a family. The only guidelines are no political or religious organizations. Three of the nominations are drawn at random from the “fishbowl”, and whomever nominates one of the three selections has three to five minutes to pitch their cause. Those in attendance then vote, and the gathered money is awarded with great excitement and congratulations! Everyone in attendance seems to walk away joyful.
The Sopris 100 has grown into a much-anticipated event in Carbondale. It is loosely modeled on a national program, The 100 Who Care Alliance. The first three events were held at The Pan and Fork Restaurant at River Valley Ranch, and this latest one was held at The Old Thompson Barn at River Valley Ranch. Philip Kendzior has been the generous caterer at all four events. To be on the invite list, please contact Bonnie Cretti bcretti@gmail.com