16th Annual Salute the Stars
The 16th Annual Salute the Stars awards luncheon was held on Friday, May 2nd at Sports Authority Field in front of a record 2,500 guests. At the event, which was presented by FourPoint Energy and the Reiman Foundation, more than $86,000 in scholarships and awards were distributed to Denver area student-athletes. In addition to John and Linda Lynch, Mayor Michael B. Hancock participated in the awards presentation and the festivities were capped off by a very inspirational keynote speech delivered by Denver Broncos QB and 5 Time NFL MVP Peyton Manning.
This year in addition to the 900 student-athletes and corporate sponsors who attended the event, which is held on the field, more than 1,500 students from Denver Public Schools, Aurora Public Schools and various other school districts, were invited to witness the Salute the Stars awards luncheon in the stands. Under this new format, the John Lynch Foundation enjoyed an even larger platform to share the inspiring, life changing stories of the student-athletes honorees with many impressionable youth. It is our goal that attending the Salute the Stars event will have a profound impact on these youth and their development as leaders. Two lucky winners from the stands were invited to come down on the field and catch a pass from Manning. They were able to keep the football, which was autographed by both John and Peyton.
The Salute the Stars festivities also included a Kick Off Party which was held on Thursday, May 1st at Venice Ristorante in the Denver Tech Center and featured a live auction as well as a seated four course gourmet dinner and entertainment by Matt Mauser and the Frank Sinatra Tribute Band. More than $410,000 was raised through the Salute the Stars events.
The John Lynch Foundation’s mission is to develop young leaders and it does so by recognizing and rewarding deserving student-athletes from Denver and Colorado at large, who not only have excelled in academics and athletics, but also have demonstrated a commitment to community service.
The JLF cannot reward these young leaders without our community’s support. Thank you to all of the sponsors, donors and volunteers who made the 16th Annual Salute the stars luncheon a success!