Crawdads for a Cure

There are few foods that bring people together quite like crawfish. The entire experience is a celebration of food and friendship that’s hard to match. Whether you were born on the bayou or have never laid eyes on a mudbug - stand next to a stranger for long enough, braving the spice and making a mess of your face and hands, and you two are bound to walk away as friends.

Those are a few of the reasons we’re excited to host our second annual crawfish boil.

This year we’re excited about another reason as well: raising money to support the Packard Center for ALS Research.

My grandmother, Jo Gwin Shelby, was born on a farm in Mississippi. She left that farm to go to college in New Orleans, became a teacher, then a lawyer, then a teacher again. She was an avid cyclist, runner, and outdoorswoman. She did triathlons, climbed mountains, and spent part of every summer between school years in Acadia National Park, portaging through the woods of Maine. JoJo lived life to the fullest – something that those of us who call Colorado home can appreciate.

In 2007 she was diagnosed with ALS. Because ALS currently has no cure, it doesn’t matter how healthy a patient is beforehand, or what they do after diagnosis – the disease will eventually take its toll.

With the help of the team at the Packard Center, our family fought back against my grandma’s diagnosis. For seven years, the folks at the Packard Center worked tirelessly to combat the progress of the disease and learn as much as they could for future patients. There are many great organizations focused on different aspects of support for ALS patients. For the Packard Center, the focus is on world-class research to eventually develop a cure.

So, it is an honor to partner with the team at the Packard Center this year to continue the fight against ALS. Katrin and I will supply the food, the drinks, the music, and the backyard. In return, we ask that you consider donating to a great cause that means a lot to both of us.

Cannot wait to see y’all! Laissez les bon temps rouler !

-Ken and Katrin