(DENVER — January 27, 2021) – Lourdes Chavez is the featured fashion designer for the 44th Annual Spring Brass Ring Luncheon & Fashion Show benefiting The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation. Lourdes is a multi-talented designer born in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles. Her exquisite designs have been worn by stars and celebrities at inaugural balls, red carpets, high-profile business venues, and weddings. Lourdes designed for TV, worked with the famous fashion house Travilla, and launched her own line of semi-custom garments in 2000.

The fundraising event honoring type 1 heroes takes place at the Hilton Denver City Center at 1701 California Street, Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, April 12th at 10 a.m. The silent auction opens for preview on Monday, March 28th and bidding for the online silent auction stars Monday, April 4th. The silent auction includes signature Spring Brass Ring baskets, a wine pull, Dine N’ Dash restaurant gift cards, and a special Jewels for Hope and Bags for Hope sale.

 

Lourdes attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) where she was chosen as one of only ten students who got to work directly with special designers and instructors. She competed in Switzerland and France, winning first prize using Abraham fabrics – the same revered, high-fashion textile maker used by YSL. Lourdes won the Nolan Miller competition to design for the TV show Dallas, and in the last scene of the last original television episode, Linda Evans is wearing Lourdes’ yellow and black dress design. In 2009 Lourdes won Fashion Group International’s Crystal Award in Palm Desert for fashion design.

 

Today, Lourdes has her own line of semi-custom garments produced in L.A. She designs some of her own fabrics, and uses unique and luxury fabrics from around Europe. Lourdes Chavez collections are produced twice a year with approximately 90 pieces in each. Clients can choose from up to 60 different fabric swatches and additions like glass blown buttons and crystals. These elegant combinations produce daytime dresses, suits, and separates for cocktail and formal events. A few fun pieces are also available for resort or casual wear. Her designs are sought after throughout the U.S. and Canada, with some “Grand Clients” relying exclusively on Lourdes for their entire wardrobe.

 

This year’s Spring Brass Ring emcee is CBS4 anchor, Dominic Garcia. Dominic is a third generation Colorado native who

grew up in Southwest Denver. He got his start in TV young, delivering the morning video announcements at Thomas Jefferson High School. He followed a career in journalism to Colorado State University where he majored in Communications and worked at the student-run TV station, CTV. Dominic’s broadcasting career began at KOAT, the ABC affiliate in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he spent three years covering news across the state. He returned to Colorado and started his first stint at CBS4 as a reporter before moving to San Diego in 2013 and working for the local BCS affiliate. Before returning again to Colorado and CBS4 in 2018, Dominic won an Emmy for his work on a documentary about the 75th

anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Today, Dominic anchors weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., and contributes stories and special projects to other CBS4 shows.

 

The premier sponsors of the 44th Annual Spring Brass Ring are Cigna and The Crazy Merchant, Inc., and the official media sponsor is Colorado Expression. Angel sponsors include The Corley Legacy Foundation, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, and Nexgen Resources. Corporate sponsor includes Syntrinsic Investment Council.

 

Proceeds from the Spring Brass Ring will benefit the Children’s Diabetes Foundation to fund research at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, promote diabetes awareness and education, assist families in need, provide scholarships, and sponsor activities for children and their families affected by diabetes.

 

  • Over 40% of Barbara Davis Center patients are uninsured or underinsured.
  • On average, the first year of care for a newly diagnosed type 1 is $20,000.
  • Type 1 diabetes is the only disease where patients and caregivers are making life and death insulin dosing decisions, and they are doing it every hour of every day.
  • The Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes provides state-of-the-art care to more than 7,500 active patients: 4,600 children and 2,900 adults with diabetes from the Rocky Mountain Region.

 

The event’s honorary chair is Mrs. Barbara Davis, with chairperson Gina Abou-Jaoude.

 

Gina Abou-Jaoude, Chairperson

Gina is a third generation native and grew up in Colorado. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado, was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and proud to be a “Forever Buff” alumn. She has been a member of the Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation for the past 23 years. Gina has held every office of Executive board for the Guild including being president for two years. Gina also served on the Advisory Board for quality assurance at the Barbara Davis Center with Dr. Robert Stover.

Gina is involved with a number of various charity organizations such as Little Hearts, A Precious Child and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She is an active member in her Catholic faith and served as president of the Advisory Council for her parish for many years.

 

Gina loves to travel, ski and loves nature & animals. She is also a certified diver. Gina is a member of the Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver Art Museum, Colorado Ballet, and Denver Botanical Gardens. She loves theater and photography. Gina is very excited to chair the Spring Brass Ring Luncheon for a second time as her passion for the BDC and CDF is endless from the moment her son’s diagnosis in 1998. She has taken an active role in the Guilds efforts to fulfill their mission statement of bringing awareness to type1 diabetes. She loves spending time with her family and friends and her favorite role is being a mother, aunt and she can’t wait to be a grandmother in March.

 

For more information about the event visit

https://www.childrensdiabetesfoundation.org/event/2022-spring-brass-ring/

 

For general questions, please contact 303-863-1200 or cdfcares@childrensdiabetesfoundation.org.

 

Event Hashtag:           #SpringBrassRing

Website:                      ChildrensDiabetesFoundation.org

Facebook:                   Children’s Diabetes Foundation

Twitter:                        @CDFdiabetes

Instagram:                   @cdfdiabetes