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[this looks like a good model for a new kind of coalition-building...]

BOULDER DAILY CAMERA Oct. 10, 1996
"COMMENT LINE" - Boulder Daily Camera, Boulder, CO (303) 473-1615
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Cheshire Ball smiles upon two schools

By LINDA CORNETT
Camera Staff Writer

Two Boulder schools will receive a total of $25,000 from a gay and lesbian fund-raising ball in Denver later this month.

The Cheshire Ball, scheduled for Oct. 25 and open to the public, was started three years ago by people involved in the state's gay and lesbian community who "wanted to make a difference and benefit the state's children," said Donna Vogel, a member of the committee that selected eight recipient programs for this year's proceeds.

In 1994, the $37,000 raised at the ball went to child abuse prevention programs. Last year, the $54,000 raised was handed out to programs dealing with teen violence.

Education is the theme this year.

Sponsors had hoped to raise $72,000, but early ticket sales have them anticipating they will bring in $80,000 to $100,000, said Boulder resident Rick Cendo, a member of the ticket committee and a sponsor of the ball.

That money will be divided among programs selected. Among them locally are:

Boulder Valley School District's Whittier Elementary School will receive $10,000 for two to three computers, a printer and software to help children in the school's English as a Second Language program.

There are 58 children in the program, speaking 17 languages, teacher Lauren Hoyt said. Currently, they have a "discard" computer from the school's computer lab, an outdated computer that was donated and a printer Hoyt picked up at a garage sale.

Students use one computer for word processing and the other to play simple word games. "Nothing compared to the new technology that is out there," Hoyt said. The new equipment will enable students to study at their own pace and work in small groups, she said.

The private September School will receive a $15,000 grant to help pay for a doubling of the high school's 1,000-square-foot science classroom and lab, administrator Jean Westby said.

The building, originally a rector's office for the nearby church building, needs to be upgraded so the school can expand its science program, Westby said.

Expanding the building and stocking the lab with equipment is expected to cost $70,000 to $100,000, she said. The Cheshire Ball donation and a $15,000 donation from an anonymous donor are the basis for a fund-raising campaign. The Cheshire, based on an Alice in Wonderland theme, is a costume ball with dancing, hors d'oeuvres and desserts, Vogel said. It draws an eclectic crowd, including gays, lesbians and their supporters.