National Jewish Health Celebrates Eighth Annual Hoops & Hoopla on April 2 at INVESCO Field at Mile High

More than 350 people will join National Jewish Health to watch the college basketball semifinal games at the eighth annual Hoops & Hoopla on Saturday, April 2, in the impressive Club Level at INVESCO Field at Mile High. This exciting event benefits Kunsberg School for chronically ill children on the campus of National Jewish Health.
 
Guests at Hoops & Hoopla will enjoy a buffet of gourmet food, an open bar, an array of silent auction items and a variety of games while they watch the two basketball games on a giant video wall, the Jumbotron on the field and 35 TVs. Last year, guests at Hoops & Hoopla raised $123,000 to benefit Kunsberg School.

Kunsberg School is a free day school for as many as 90 chronically ill students in kindergarten through eighth grades. Its mission is to provide a safe, friendly and healthy school environment where students succeed academically, medically and socially. Many students are minorities, and most families are at or below poverty level. Many have fallen behind their peers in school because of illnesses including severe asthma and/or allergies, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other respiratory and related disorders.

Members of the Hoops & Hoopla Executive Committee team, known as the event coaches, are Dave Dahl and Jason Green, QED; Kevin Eitniear, Tower Electric; David Greiner, Greiner Electric; Amy Hines and Natalie Neaton, Delphi Companies; John Kamprath, Krische Construction; Jerry Laflen, BKD LLP; Ward Mahanke, TST Inc. of Denver; and Rich Schierburg, Peregrine Group Development. 

Leadership Committee members, known as the  event players, are Matt Arias, Brent Greiner, Jeff Shigeno, Tom Tarver and Kris Wintroub, Greiner Electric; Jim Barbour, Consolidated Electrical Distributors; Shawn Boyd, Monument Steel Erectors Inc.; Paul Brooks, KeyBank; Paul De Crescentis, DePaul Real Estate Investment Group; Tal Diamant, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP; Roger Dieckhaus, Sun Office Products; Darren Fisk, Johnson Capital; Wayne Grider, United Stationers; Alan Guzowski, Tricon Geophysics; Judy Hines, Independent Financial Consultants; Tom Kahn, Kahn Construction; Ann King and Joe Nelson, BKD LLP; Gary Schwartz, Patten, MacPhee and Associates; and Ryan Slechta, Delphi Benefits.

Students at Kunsberg School receive care and learn to manage their illnesses from three nurses and National Jewish Health pediatricians. They eat nutritious meals, exercise daily, and practice positive social interaction. The students learn in small classes from teachers with advanced degrees using the latest educational technology tools. They demonstrate their knowledge by showing steady improvements on the CSAP test and outpacing their peers in similar schools. Upon graduation, Kunsberg students have the skills to lead healthy, productive, meaningful and active lives.