Denver Business Journal
May 7-23, 2010

The Mask Project, which benefits The Denver Hospice, always recruits big names to decorate masks for the fundraiser. More than 1,000 people came to the Cherry Creek Shopping Center for this year's event May 1, which raised $650,000 thanks to auctioning off nearly 500 masks by artists, celebrities, musicians, chefs, athletes, community leaders and others.

The top-selling mask ($5,510) was Michelle Obama's, which was painted by artist Carol Dyer of Baltimore; she's the mother of KUSA anchor Kyle Dyer. Next was a mask by Obama and Jeannie Ritter, $3,810; Steven Stills, $1,500; Gov. Bill Ritter and Obama, $1,310; and Denver orthopoedic surgeon Ted Parks, $1,110.

In addition, Steve Chotin- founder, CEO and chairman of Denver-based The Chotin Group Corp. - and The Chotin Foundation collected $92,000 from donors nationwide for his mask. He's raised more than $350,000 for The Denver Hospice since getting involved eight years ago. Denver artist Charles Wooldridge created Chotin's mask.