From 1996 through 1999, ESC had partnered with the Elway Foundation for its Annual Elway Celebrity Auction.
In 1997, ESC made a contribution of nearly $1,000 in the form of funds and items which were donated for auction. Proceeds from these items raised over $2,700 to assist the Elway Foundation’s efforts to aid in the treatment and prevention of child abuse (See below). Members of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame assisted with our 1997 project by adding their autographs to various items which were donated for use as auction lots. Former Broncos who participated included Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin, Randy Gradishar, Rich Jackson, Tom Jackson, Charley Johnson, Floyd Little, Craig Morton, Haven Moses, Paul Smith, Lionel Taylor, Frank Tripucka, Jim Turner, and Louie Wright. A special thanks goes out to all!
Participating in our 1998 project were some of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks of past and present including Sammy Baugh, Dan Fouts, John Elway, Otto Graham, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, and Johnny Unitas. A heartfelt thanks to these folks as well who autographed a game program depicting “The Greatest Quaterbacks of All-Time”. Matted and framed, this unique piece helped raise nearly $1,000 for the Foundation’s beneficiaries.
In 1999, some diligent research and persistence paid off as we were able to track down nearly 30 members of the inaugural Denver Broncos team who agreed to autograph a team photograph to be donated for that year’s event. Participating were 1960 alumni Ken Adamson, Buddy Alliston, Frank Bernardi, John “Red” Brodnax, Al Carmichael, Bill & Eldon Danenhauer, Chuck Gavin, Goose Gonsoulin, John Hatley, Gordy Holz, Bill Jessup, Don King, Frank Kuchta, Carl Larpenter, Pete Mangum, Bud McFadin, Bob McNamara, Gene Mingo, Johnny Pyeatt, Dave Rolle, Bob Stransky, David Strickland, Lionel Taylor, Frank Tripucka, Billy Yelverton and Joe Young. To these gentlemen, our most sincere “Thanks!” This historic item again sold for over $1,000 at the Elway Foundation’s charity auction.
Since his rookie year, John Elway has always been very active in the Denver community. In 1987, John decided to start the Elway Foundation to join with the community’s efforts to eliminate child abuse. John recognized that child abuse was a growing issue in our society and was affecting more and more lives. The decision was made to concentrate the Elway Foundations’ efforts in the area of the treatment and prevention of child abuse and to hopefully prevent future generations from becoming victims of this crime.
Over $3 million has been donated since the inception of the Elway Foundation. The money raised by the Elway Foundation is divided equally between two local organizations, the Kempe Children’s Center and The Family Advocacy, Care, Education, Support (FACES). Each organization has a proven track record of successfully dealing with the prevention and treatment of child abuse. This makes them very worthy recipients of the Foundation’s fund raising efforts.
The Kempe Children’s Center is world renowned for its research into the causes, treatment and prevention of child abuse. They publish and produce training materials for teachers, social workers, parents and doctors to help them recognize symptoms of child abuse and effective ways to treat it. Their innovative program, ReCAP, is designed to treat children who have been abused by someone outside the family. Their Community Caring Project helps at risk families through home visitation, counseling, emotional and physical support. The Kempe Child Advocacy and Protection Team provides medical diagnosis and treatment of child abuse. They also run on-site therapeutic pre-school for children with significant developmental delays and psychiatric problems.
FACES provides direct prevention and treatment services through its Parent Aides and Parent Consultation programs. Parent Aides are volunteers, trained by FACES professional staff, who provide home visitation that teaches parenting skills, reduces isolation, builds self-esteem and promotes healthy relationships between parents and children. The Parent Consultations are designed for parents with specific concerns about development and child rearing issues. An in-depth assessment of family needs can be performed to help family members access appropriate resources. In addition, FACES staffs a help line that can refer callers to other resources as needed. Their award winning Family SHARE® interactive workshops for families, kids and schools promote healthy relationships. They also provide training for nurses, child care workers, teachers and others whose work brings them into contact with children and their families.