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The Art of Giving Michelle Sie Whitten, cofounder and executive director of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and Excelsior Youth Center’s 2014 Triumphant Woman, shares her passion for family and philanthropy B y mary barthelme abel portraits by Don Riley
I
’m honored to be among these fabulous women,” says Michelle Sie Whitten of her recent distinction as Excelsior Youth Center’s 2014 Triumphant Woman, “but I don’t think I would have accepted it if I didn’t believe in the organization.” This strong statement seems appropriate coming from Whitten, a self-described workaholic and committed information junkie. “I knew of Excelsior through involved friends and had donated to them years ago, and then I reconnected when I met the force of nature that is [2013 Triumphant Woman] Jamie Angelic.
Michelle Sie Whitten in the living room of her art-filled Cherry Creek home.
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(left) Whitten at the 2011 Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show with the event’s ambassador, DeOndra Dixon and Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipient Sujeet Desai. The annual show is the foundation’s largest fundraiser. (below) Whitten with son Patrick and Nancy Sevo. (bottom) Whitten with daughter Sophia.
make an “Toinformed
decision, you have to have accurate information, and it didn’t take long for me to discover that most of what [my doctor] told me was wrong.
”
—Michelle Sie Whitten
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With many years of nonprofit experience, I really appreciated the success of the Center’s fundraising efforts.” Whitten is the co-founder and executive director of the Denver-based Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the nation’s leading lobbying and advocacy organization for people with the genetic disorder. Inspired by her daughter Sophia, who was born with Down syndrome, the foundation’s mission is to “significantly improve the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy.” For Whitten, education is paramount. “We estimate that 6,000 people in Colorado have Down syndrome, but growing up I never met anyone with the disorder. Societal inclusion is important; it’s a civil rights issue. And really, what better way is there to prepare parents to raise a Down syndrome child than to grow up with them?” Her passion for education also stems from the way in which she and her husband, art curator Tom Whitten, learned that their unborn child would have Down syndrome. “We received the diagnosis in a terrible way. We had a genetic counselor who provided no positive information and we were pushed to terminate. It’s not a secret that I’m pro-choice, but I’m also pro-information. To make an informed decision, you have to have accurate information, and it didn’t take long for me to discover that most of what [my doctor] told me was wrong.” After conducting their own research, the Whittens chose to move forward with the pregnancy. Whitten grew up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and moved to Denver in 1983 at age 17 when her father, John J. Sie, relocated to help build the then-largest cable TV operator in the country, Tele-Communications,
photos courtesy global down syndrome foundation
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“
We estimate that 6,000 people in Colorado have Down syndrome, but growing up I never met anyone with the disorder. Societal inclusion is important; it’s a civil rights issue.
”
—Michelle Sie Whitten
Footnotes
How would you describe the style of your home? A mix of contemporary and Chinese. We love color! We spent eight months renovating, and this is our dream home; we are not moving again. Tell us about your amazing art collection. My husband is a contemporary Chinese art expert and curator. We both collected textiles and now we have a burgeoning art collection. We’ve had to find a balance between loving color on the walls and knowing that white walls show off the art.
Inc. “At that time, there was very little ethnic or cultural diversity in Denver,” Whitten recalls. She moved away to attend college (Whitten holds a Master of Arts degree in Regional Studies/East Asia and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from Harvard University as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Tufts University) and subsequently chose to return to the Mile High City after her 1999 marriage. With a staff of just nine, Whitten continues to work diligently to grow the foundation and spread its message. The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, held each October, is the foundation’s largest fundraiser and helps contribute to the endowment of the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado. In 2014, the foundation’s primary focus is to raise funds to establish the Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence for Adult Care—research shows that people with Down syndrome have an unusually high risk of contracting Alzheimer’s—and to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association to research the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s. The foundation is also developing a national survey of pregnant women to compile feedback about the types of prenatal information they want to receive regarding Down syndrome. “We must not be complacent,” says Whitten. “We must continue to move forward with our message.” 36
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What are some of your family’s favorite things to do in and around Denver? I’m half Chinese and half Italian, so everything is about food. We don’t really have a favorite restaurant because we rarely go to the same one twice. Of course, we visit lots of museums, and this year we want to introduce the kids to skiing. How do you and your husband maintain a work/life balance? We don’t [laughs]. I think in our case, opposites attract; he’s calm and I’m hyper. But we’re both completely involved in our children’s lives; we don’t have a nanny and we accept that this is a full time in our lives. We’re busy but our lives are filled with positive things.
Get Involved
Formally established in 2009, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to improving the lives of people with Down syndrome. Its annual fundraising event, the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show, is October 25, 2014. To learn more or to donate, visit globaldownsyndrome.org Located on a 33-acre campus in Aurora, Excelsior Youth Center provides residentialand community-based services for troubled teenage girls. The 2014 Triumphant FACES Gala takes place March 7, 2014, at the Sheraton Downtown Denver and benefits the center’s substance abuse program. For more information, visit excelsioryc.org; to purchase gala tickets, visit triumphantfaces.org