The return of our in-person ARCS Gala, “Celebrating Science” 2022, was a huge success.  Over $100,000 was raised to support our scholars thanks to the hard work of the Gala Chair, Sonnie Talley, her committee and Joan Obert, V.P. Programs.  120 members, guests, and scholars enjoyed a wonderful evening May 13th at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  We had two honorees this year, Mr. Earl Wright and Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid. Wright is the co-founder and chairman of the board for AMG National Trust. He and his late wife, ARCS member and former Colorado Chapter President Nancy, have supported the chapter for 30-plus years in many important capacities.  Abbud-Madrid is director of the Center for Space Resources and the space resources graduate program at Colorado School of Mines.  In addition to directing the Center for Space Resources at Mines, he leads a program focused on human and robotic exploration of space and space resources and has had several of his projects carried on space shuttle missions.  

During cocktail hour, guests could visit with several of the 2021-22 scholars who had set up exhibits that illustrated their studies. Meteorologist Dave Aguilera, from CBS4 News, returned as the MC and auctioneer for the gala.  As always, his energy and expertise greatly contributed to the gala’s success.   A current scholar from Mines and an alumni scholar now working at Lockheed Martin spoke to the audience and told what the ARCS award meant for them. “Our success tonight means their success tomorrow,” said chapter president Sue Zoby as she reminded the audience that our ARCS Colorado chapter has awarded some $5.5 million  to over 1,000 outstanding science, engineering, and medical students at our recipient Colorado universities since our founding in 1976.  And she announced that in 2021, ARCS Colorado was named the Outstanding Service Organization in Colorado by Colorado chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  The 2022 Gala was a fantastic finale to our 2021-2022 year