Registration is now open for Regis University’s Porter-Billups Leadership Academy (PBLA) annual gala and fundraising auction at porterbillups-denver.org/gala. Proceeds will support the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy programs held each summer on the main campus.
The gala will take place on Oct. 1, 2022, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. Auction items can be bid on beginning today through the PBLA website or live at the event. Attendance at the gala is not required to place a bid.
The dinner and auction will be accompanied by performances by Brian Kennedy, a four-time Grammy Award winner. Kennedy has written and produced top Billboard Chart records for Rhianna, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, Jennifer Hudson, and more. He and the Shining Stars of PBLA will be offering an outstanding evening of entertainment, performing original songs produced collectively with participating students.
The Porter-Billups Leadership Academy was established in 1996 by Regis University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Lonnie Porter and his daughter, Staci Porter-Bentley, to provide academic and leadership training to Denver’s at-risk inner-city youth. The organization gained the support of NBA star Chauncy Billups in 2006 to act as a positive role model and promote individual values, academic excellence, and leadership skills. “I saw, every day, the impact of crimes, gangs, and living in tough, underserved neighborhoods. I saw a lot of smart kids get lost in the street. These are poor kids with rich minds who just need a little opportunity and few good people to care enough to help them reach their potential,” said Billups speaking of his own experience growing up in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood.
“We are as confident today as we were when we began the program that if given the right tools and opportunity, any young person can achieve and change the world,” said Porter-Bentley.
“From the very beginning of the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy, I have dedicated myself to creating an organization committed to helping young people change their lives and the lives of their community through education,” said Porter. “Denver is a world-class city, and we confidently believe we are doing our part to contribute to that profile by investing in its greatest asset – its children.”
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