Happy Thanksgiving from your friend’s at Jay’s Valet! 

Thank you to all the veterans who have served and continue to serve. Happy Veterans Day.

Happy Halloween! May you and your family have a sweet and safe evening of tricks and treats.

 

Jay’s Valet team members Dylan Gaffney and Nick Diercks Saved a boy from drowning in raging waters in Aspen on the way to work The Buddy Program‘s Boogies Bash Event. The Aspen Times Weekly tells the story in this great article below with pictures and video. We truly are proud of how quickly the Jay’s Valet team jumped into action.

Aspen Times Article: http://www.aspentimes.com/news/17265469-113/boogies-bash-valets-save-aspen-boys-life-video

While last week’s Boogie’s Bash is likely to make a difference in the lives of numerous children in the Roaring Fork Valley, it just may have saved one teen’s life.

Two Denver valets on their way to work the party Thursday, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for underprivileged kids, stopped at the Devil’s Punchbowl to check it out and ended up rescuing an Aspen teenager named “Michael” after he inadvisedly jumped in to the raging waters.

“He gave me a hug and said, ‘Thank you. You saved my life,’” said Dylan Gaffney, 27, an employee of Jay’s Valets in Denver. “I hope someone else would have done the same for me.”

Gaffney said he was telling the group of valets in his van about the Punchbowl as they were driving over Independence Pass, and decided that they had time to stop and take a look. He said he’d been there before but has never jumped in to the popular cliff-diving and swimming spot.

Gaffney said he recognized that the water was too high for swimming, but noticed a kid wearing orange shorts on the other side of the river with two friends who looked like he was ready to jump.

“Literally 45 seconds later, he jumped,” Gaffney said. “(I thought) that’s a bad idea. You shouldn’t be doing that.”

He said he saw the kid pop up and try to swim out but couldn’t. The kid grabbed hold of a boulder, but he couldn’t hold on and got swept underneath the rock.

“I thought, ‘I’m not going to watch this kid die,’” Gaffney said.

The kid popped up on the other side of the boulder and tried to swim, but was swept downriver. That’s when Gaffney jumped into action.

He began running down the shore and screaming at the boy to swim to the left. The boy grabbed another smaller rock, but slipped again and was swept about 100 yards downriver.

The boy was again able to grab hold of a rock, but he didn’t have a good grip on it and kept slipping. Gaffney waded out into the river, wrenching his ankle between two rocks, and was able to reach a large rock in the middle of the river. He said he grabbed a large branch and tried to extend it to the boy, but he couldn’t reach him.

“That was when he looked at me dead in the eyes and said, ‘Don’t let me die. I don’t want to die,’” Gaffney said.

Gaffney said he tried to calm the boy down, then noticed his friend and fellow valet, Nick Diercks, 22, coming out into the river toward him. At that point, Gaffney grabbed hold of the rock with one hand and Diercks wrist with the other.

Diercks reached out and said he told the boy to grab his wrist. Gaffney was then able to haul them both to safety. Diercks then got a rope from some people nearby, tied it around his waist and threw it to the kid, who wrapped it around his body and they were able to haul him ashore.

“He said, ‘Thank you. I thought I was going to die,’” Diercks said.

They then walked him up to where his friends were waiting at a white Toyota Tacoma pickup, advised him to eat some sugar and the boy and his friends left. Diercks said the boy told him he was from Aspen, while Gaffney said the boy told him his name was “Michael.”

“We’ve all been that age and done stupid stuff,” Diercks said.

Both Diercks and Gaffney said separately that the boy likely would have died had they not jumped into action.

“He’d have been dead, one-hundred percent,” Gaffney said. In an email, Gaffney said he felt like the boy’s guardian angel.

Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine said Tuesday he’s been monitoring the river levels at the Punchbowl daily in order to determine when to mount an operation to look for the body of an Aspen man who is believed to have jumped in to the Punchbowl on June 4 and hasn’t been seen since.

“I wouldn’t jump into it,” Balentine said.

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Happy 4th of July from your friend’s, Jay’s Valet! 

Happy Memorial Day from Jay’s Valet!

 

The 2015 “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition has come to an end and there are three amazing nonprofits that have won donations from Jay’s Valet. MADD Colorado won the $1,000 grand prize along with Women’s Foundation of Colorado and ArtReach Denver, each winning the $250 donations for the 2nd Place Prizes.

To celebrate Jay’s Valet 30 Years of Service, we are making sure that there are no losers in this competition. Each of the 70, hand-selected, nonprofits will receive a consolation prize of a Jay’s Valet Luxury Transportation Gift Certificate worth $250 to be used at their next fundraising event. This gesture brings our total donations for this campaign to over $19,000. 

The championship game was between Zarlengo Foundation with Wisconsin verses MADD Colorado with Duke. As many of you should know by now, Duke won that game by 68-63, making MADD Colorado the official 2015 “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition Champion. 

We had the pleasure of visiting the MADD Colorado office to deliver the 2015 Champion Trophy and a $1,000 check donation.

The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. Since MADD was founded in 1980, drunk driving deaths have been cut in half; but there is still more work to be done. In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving crashes, and another 290,000 people were injured. They need your help in order to prevent this 100% preventable crime. You can make a donation to MADD Colorado at http://bit.ly/1HITMsC.

We also delivered two $250 check donations to the “4-Point Play” and “Bonus +1” 2nd Place Winners. 

We visited the Women’s Foundation of Colorado office to deliver a $250 donation for winning the “4-Point Play” 2nd Place Prize by being matched with Lafayette, who was knocked out with the largest point spread of 41 points.

The Mission for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado is to build resources and lead change so that every woman and girl in Colorado achieves her full potential.  Empowering women and girls to achieve economic independence is at the forefront of what they do. They’re working hard to help women and girls gain the opportunities and resources for educational, career and financial advancement. You can help the Women’s Foundation of Colorado with their mission by donating at http://goo.gl/YTfts1.

Karla Johnson-Grimes of ArtReach Denver visited our office to pick up their $250 donation for winning the “Bonus +1” 2nd Place Prize. They were one of ten teams that scored 35 points in a half. However, Michigan State matched with ArtReach Denver scored 35 points in a half 3 times during the tournament. This gave ArtReach Denver the best odds out of all the teams in the drawing.

ArtReach Denver enhances lives within the community by providing access to arts and cultural experiences for people of all ages who would not otherwise have the opportunity. ArtReach exists to ensure people of all ages who struggle with physical, mental, behavioral or severe economic challenges have an opportunity to experience arts and culture. Every year ArtReach programs ensure that more than 50,000 individuals and families in our community have the opportunity to experience the Arts. To support ArtReach Denver, you can make a donation at http://goo.gl/RwIyyY.

Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and visit our blog for more information about the “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition.

***We are not affiliated with the NCAA or March Madness. This is a bracket that we create to coincide with the college basketball championship. We hope that this competition will keep your team entertained throughout the College Basketball Championship.***

 

Tonight is the National Championship Game of the 2015 “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition! Wisconsin has been matched with Zarlengo Foundation  and Duke with Madd Colorado, which will play each other tonight at 7:18PM on CBS. The winner of this game will receive a $1000 Donation from Jay’s Valet and be named the Champion of the 2015 “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition.

The Zarlengo Foundation, located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, supports schools and programs for learning disabled children in and around the Denver community. The Zarlengo Foundation’s annual fundraiser, An Evening of Comedy will take place on September 12, 2015 and will feature comedian Jeff Foxworthy.  Past Evening of Comedy headliners included Jay Leno, Billy Gardell and Seth Meyers. If you would like to make a donation to help children with learning disabilities click here:  http://www.zarlengofoundation.org/giving.  If you would like to purchase tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy click here: http://bit.ly/1aDrTrD.

The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. Since MADD was founded in 1980, drunk driving deaths have been cut in half; but there is still more work to be done. In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving crashes, and another 290,000 people were injured. They need your help in order to prevent this 100% preventable crime. You can make a donation to MADD Colorado at http://bit.ly/1HITMsC.

Please see below for the results of the Final 4 Games as well as the entrees for our 2nd Place “Bonus +1” and “4-Points Play” Prizes.

Final 4 Game Results:

Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation Beat Kentucky – Davita (Bridge of Life) 71-64

Duke – Madd Colorado Beat Michigan State – ArtReach Inc 81-61

2^nd Place Prizes Entrees:

The “Bonus +1” Second Place Prize drawing currently has 10 entrées who have scored exactly 35 points in a half. These teams include: Michigan State –ArtReach Inc. with 3 entrees (Scoring 35 points in a half 3 times), North Florida – There With Care, West Virginia – PetAid Colorado, Valparaiso – Colorado Rockies Charity Fund, Northern Iowa – American Cancer Society, Belmont – Denver Police Activities League, Utah – John Lynch Foundation, Gonzaga – Open World Learning, Notre Dame – PawsCo, Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation and Duke – MADD Colorado. The “4-Point Play” Second Place Prize is leaning towards Lafayette – Women’s Foundation of Colorado  who currently was defeated by the largest point spread of 41 points. The winners of the Second Place prizes will be announced at the end of the tournament.

Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and visit our blog for more information about the “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition.

The Final Four teams are here! Such an exciting, nail-biting weekend of games! It’s anybody’s tournament now. Please check below for a recap of this weekend’s Elite Eight Games, as well as the rest of the Sweet 16 Games played on Friday.  Please share this to keep the excitement going, and help spread awareness of all the great nonprofits still in the 2015 “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition!

Final 4, April 4^th Games

Kentucky – Davita (Bridge of Life) Vs. Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation (6:49PM)

Michigan State – ArtReach Inc Vs. Duke – Madd Colorado (4:09PM)

 

Elite 8, March 28-29th Games

Kentucky – Davita Village Trust Beat Notre Dame – PawsCo (68-66)

Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation Beat Arizona – YMCA Metro Denver (85-78)

Michigan State – ArtReach Inc Beat Louisville – Anderson Ranch Arts Center (76-70)

Duke – Madd Colorado Beat Gonzaga – Open World Learning (66-52)

 

Friday’s Sweet 16 Games

Louisville – Anderson Ranch Arts Center Beat  NC State – Morgan Adams Foundation (75-65)

Michigan State – ArtReach Inc Beat Oklahoma – Colorado AIDS Project (62-58)

Duke – Madd Colorado Beat Utah – John Lynch Foundation (63-57)

Gonzaga – Open World Learning Beat UCLA – Aspen Junior Golf (74-62)

 

So far in this tournament, the “Bonus +1” Second Place Prize drawing currently has 10 entrées who have scored exactly 35 points in a half. These teams include: Michigan State –ArtReach Inc. with 3 entrees (Scoring 35 points in a half 3 times), North Florida – There With Care, West Virginia – PetAid Colorado, Valparaiso – Colorado Rockies Charity Fund, Northern Iowa – American Cancer Society, Belmont – Denver Police Activities League, Utah – John Lynch Foundation, Gonzaga – Open World Learning, Notre Dame – PawsCo, and Duke – MADD Colorado. The “4-Point Play” Second Place Prize is leaning towards Lafayette – Women’s Foundation of Colorado  who currently was defeated by the largest point spread of 41 points. The winners of the Second Place prizes will be announced at the end of the tournament.

After a very exciting weekend of College Basketball, the Sweet 16 Bracket is here! Between Friday and Sunday, there were many surprising wins. Those that thought they were in the tournament for the long haul were surprisingly knocked out of the running in the third round. However, don’t forget, there is still two Second-Place Prizes to be won that will be announced at the end of the tournament.

The first, “4-Point Play” Prize will be given to the team that is knocked out with the largest point spread. As of right now, Women’s Foundation of Colorado with Lafayette is in the lead by being knocked out by 41 points.

The “Bonus +1” Second Place Prize opportunity will be given each time any team scores exactly 35 points in a half, entering their nonprofit into a drawing. As of right now, the teams that will be included in this drawing are ArtReach Denver with Michigan State who scored 35 points in both halves of their game, There With Care (North Florida), Colorado Rockies Charity Fund (Valparaiso), American Cancer Society (Northern Iowa), Denver Police Activities League (Belmont), and PetAid Colorado (West Virginia).

The tournament is just getting heated up, with the Sweet 16 games being played this Thursday, 27^th, and Friday, 28^th. Please click the bracket above or check below for the list of nonprofits still in the tournament and the dates of their games. We wish every nonprofit Good Luck!

“We are not affiliated with the NCAA or March Madness. This is a bracket that we create to coincide with the college basketball championship to create awareness of nonprofits throughout our community”

Sweet 16 March 26^th Games

Kentucky – Davita (Bridge of Life) Vs. West Virginia – PetAid Colorado

Notre Dame – PawsCo Vs. Wichita State – Toby Keith Foundation

Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation Vs. North Carolina – Morgridge Family Foundation (Book Trust)

Xavier – TAPS Vs. Arizona – YMCA Metro Denver

Sweet 16 March 27^th Games

NC State – Morgan Adams Foundation Vs. Louisville – Anderson Ranch Arts Center

Oklahoma – Colorado AIDS Project Vs. Michigan State – ArtReach Inc

Duke – Madd Colorado Vs. Utah – John Lynch Foundation

UCLA – Aspen Junior Golf Vs. Gonzaga – Open World Learning

This weekend’s Round of 32 Games went as follows:

Round of 32, March 21-22 Games

Kentucky – Davita (Bridge of Life) Beat Cincinnati – Aspen Film (64-51)

West Virginia – PetAid Colorado Beat Maryland – Lutheran Family Services (69-59)

Notre Dame – PawsCo Beat Butler – Phoenix Multisport (67-64)

Wichita State – Toby Keith Foundation Beat Kansas – Freedom Service Dogs of America (78-65)

Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation Beat Oregon – Aspen Country Day School (72-65)

North Carolina – Morgridge Family Foundation (Book Trust) Beat Arkansas – Zane Beadles Parade Foundation (87-78)

Xavier – TAPS Beat Georgia State – Children’s Diabetes Foundation (75-67)

Arizona – YMCA Metro Denver Beat Ohio State – Livewell Colorado (73-58)

NC State – Morgan Adams Foundation Beat Villanova – Oklahoma Heart Hospital (71-68)

Louisville – Anderson Ranch Arts Center Beat Northern Iowa – American Cancer Society (66-53)

Oklahoma – Colorado AIDS Project Beat Dayton – KATA Foundation (72-66)

Michigan State – ArtReach Inc Beat Virginia – Arc Thrift Stores (60-54)

Duke – Madd Colorado Beat San Diego State – Aspen Youth Center (68-49)

Utah – John Lynch Foundation Beat Georgetown – Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association (75-64)

UCLA – Aspen Junior Golf Beat UAB – Goodwill Industries of Denver (92-75)

Gonzaga – Open World Learning Beat Iowa – Jewish Family Services (87-68)

 

In case you missed the Games on Friday, here are the outcomes:

Friday, March 20^th Games

West Virginia – PetAid Colorado Beat Buffalo – Jazz Aspen / Snowmass (68-62)

Maryland – Lutheran Family Services Beat  Valparaiso – Colorado Rockies Charity Fund (65-62)

Wichita State – Toby Keith Foundation Beat Indiana – Sarah’s Home (81-76)

Kansas – Freedom Service Dogs of America Beat New Mexico State – The Joshua School (75-56)

Wisconsin – Zarlengo Foundation Beat Coastal Carolina – Judi’s House (86-72)

Oregon – Aspen Country Day School Beat Oklahoma State – Gold Crown Foundation (79-73)

Northern Iowa – American Cancer Society Beat Wyoming – Denver Art Museum (71-54)

Louisville – Anderson Ranch Arts Center Beat UC Irvine – Saddle-Up Foundation (57-55)

Dayton – KATA Foundation Beat Providence – Positive Coaching Alliance (66-53)

Oklahoma – Colorado AIDS Project Beat Albany – The Buddy Program (69-60)

Michigan State – ArtReach Inc Beat Georgia – Denver Film Society (70-63)

Virginia – Arc Thrift Stores Beat Belmont – Denver Police Activities League (79-67)

Duke – Madd Colorado Beat Robert Morris – Denver Health Foundation (85-56)

San Diego State – Aspen Youth Center Beat St. John’s – Aspen Art Museum (76-64)

Iowa – Jewish Family Services Beat Davidson – National Multiple Sclerosis Society (83-52)

Gonzaga – Open World Learning Beat North Dakota State – Colorado High School Charter (86-76)