Charity Begins at Home

Elected officials in Denver get to do double duty. In celebrity-short Denver, they're in constant demand for do-good events. On Friday night, for example, Denver DA Mitch Morrissey was on deck at Elway's in the Concerts for Kids "celebrity server" event, which raised more than $50,000 for children's charities. The...

By Patricia Calhoun

October 2, 2007

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Elected officials in Denver get to do double duty. In celebrity-short Denver, they're in constant demand for do-good events. On Friday night, for example, Denver DA Mitch Morrissey was on deck at Elway's in the Concerts for Kids "celebrity server" event, which raised more than $50,000 for children's charities. The next night, he was at the High Hopes Tribute Dinner, which crammed the ballroom at the downtown Marriott and raised upwards of $700,000 for the Children's Diabetes Foundation.

And then there's Morrissey's real job. The last time he'd worn his tux, the DA said, was for an event downtown last November -- when he got the news that there had been a horrible tragedy downtown, and he left for the scene of what turned out to be the hit-and-run that wiped out Frank Bingham's family.

Today Larry Trujillo, who was driving that truck, and Eric Snell, his passenger,will be sentenced in connection with the deaths of Becca Bingham and the two Bingham children, four-year-old Macie and two-year-old Garrison. In May, Snell pleaded guilty to two counts of accessory to a crime and one count of DUI -- and also agreed to testify against Trujillo, who pleaded guilty in July to thirteen charges, including vechicular homicide, and faces up to 174 years in prison.

Bingham has started his own charities, Bingham Books and the Bingham Memorial Fund, to honor his family. -- Patricia Calhoun

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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