PHAMALY Honored at El Pomar Awards for Excellence Banquet

Denver) PHAMALY, the Physically Handicapped Actors and Musical Artist League, received an award of $15,000.00 from the El Pomar Foundation at the 19th Annual Awards for Excellence Banquet, held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs on November 28.

Honorees do not apply for the awards, but are nominated and selected by the Awards for Excellence Selection Commission. Commission members, appointed by El Pomar Trustees, represent a variety of interests and share a history of leadership throughout the state. Each year Awards for Excellence recognizes 33 finalist organizations in 11 different categories. Winners in each category are revealed at the banquet, where individual honorees and businesses are also recognized for their contributions to the community. Since 1989 Awards for Excellence has awarded $4 million to more than 400 organizations and individuals throughout Colorado. This year Denver organizations and individuals received more than $150,000 of the total $400,000 awarded.

Fourteen Denver nonprofit organizations were honored in front of an audience of nearly 1,000 civic, nonprofit and community leaders with four organizations announced as winners in their category.

This award signifies that PHAMALY provides a high level of quality in its programs, community service and administrative ability.

PHAMALY achieves its goals through three primary programs -- two productions, one musical and one dramatic, performed entirely by persons with disabilities; and an outreach program, which brings performers with disabilities to a variety of community venues. In the past year, PHAMALY has served more than 10,000 people statewide with its diverse approach to the arts. Its long-term goal is to reach out to the more than 507,000 people in Colorado living with a disability.

Additionally three other Denver organizations - The Rise School of Denver, Inner City Health Center and Brent's Place each received a $15,000 award and the ten other Denver nonprofits were finalists, each receiving a $7,500 award were KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy, Young Americans Center for Financial Education, Environmental Learning for Kids, Colorado Neurological Institute, Denver Health, Judi's House, Special Olympics of Colorado The Listen Foundation, Denver Red Shield Community Center and the Third Way Center.

Computers for Kids, an organization located in Glenwood Springs and dedicated to serving youth in the communities of Mesa, Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties was awarded the Spencer and Julie Penrose Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Organization of the Year receiving $50,000, after El Pomar revealed that it was doubling the $25,000 award previously given to Penrose winners.

This year two individuals with Denver ties and one business were honored; Attorney General John Suthers received the Ben S. Wendelken Special Trustees Award, presented to an individual who embodies the spirit of service and giving; Dr. Lewis Sharp, Director/Denver Art Museum: Shrine of the Sun Award, presented to a nonprofit professional who has had a profound and lasting impact on the nonprofit community and Mike Shaw Automotive received the Governor John A. Love Award, recognizing a business that improves the quality of life for Coloradans through a demonstrated commitment to the nonprofit sector.