When a town’s NFL mascot will get its personal Tremendous Bowl ring, you recognize you’ve were given a champion in your palms.
That used to be the case with Thunder, the Denver Broncos’ real-life mascot, after the group received the 2016 Tremendous Bowl. Sure, it used to be an actual ring, but additionally a symbolic gesture — identical to Thunder. A quartet of majestic, white Arabian horses, all owned by way of Denver entrepreneur and philanthropist Sharon Magness Blake, have seemed beneath the title at video games and occasions during the last 3 many years, even flying to choose towns and showing on TV presentations.
Simply as essential, Magness Blake stated, were the fame equine’s appearances on the Nationwide Western Inventory Display all over its 16-day run on the Nationwide Western Heart, which takes position each and every January in Denver.
“All of the Thunders were in the market,” stated Magness Blake, who has been offering Arabians to the Broncos since 1993. “They’ve been at roping categories, or finished Dancing with the Horses on Child’s Day. We have now a loose youngsters day on the (Inventory Display), however remaining time I used to be there with Thunder that they had unnoticed to let us know it used to be going to be 3,000 youngsters!”
The turnout stunned Magness Blake, who’s a trustee of the development, but it surely is sensible for the reason that attendance has been up year-over-year since 2021, with a complete of about 700,000 previous this 12 months (with revenues “emerging accordingly,” in keeping with the Inventory Display).
In September, Inventory Display leaders named Magness Blake 2025’s Citizen of the West, a prestigious award that acknowledges no longer most effective her paintings with animals, however her wide-ranging, vastly a success fundraising for nonprofits and worthy reasons — to the song of greater than $100 million by way of this level.
“I grew up in Philadelphia with modest method, so I gravitate towards ladies who’re abused, youngsters and the aged,” she stated of her fundraising paintings. “I additionally grew up loving horses, however didn’t have get right of entry to to them as a result of I lived in a town of concrete.”
“What has at all times struck me about Sharon is how relaxed she is with all folks,” stated Sen. John Hickenlooper, then governor of Colorado, in 2011 when Magness Blake received the Mizel Neighborhood Enrichment Award. “She is actually proper at house with one of the crucial largest stars in display industry, however no longer on the expense of others. Few have her stage of grace; there’s at all times the sort of sense of pleasure round her.”
Magness Blake’s talent to land stars comparable to Garth Brooks for fundraisers has helped her luck. However the forty sixth Citizen of the West award is specific to Denver, honoring the ones “who embrace the spirit and backbone of the Western pioneer – a real consultant of Western way of life, beliefs, agricultural heritage, and traditions,” in keeping with the Inventory Display. A panel of neighborhood leaders selects recipients, they stated. That comes with previous winners and honchos on the 118-year-old match.
“Sharon is an unusual citizen and philanthropist, supportive and making a gift of of her ability, time and treasure,” wrote Pete Coors, chairman of the Inventory Display’s $150 million capital marketing campaign, Honoring the Legacy, in an e-mail to The Denver Put up.
Magness Blake is a committee member of Honoring the Legacy, which is elevating budget to enhance transformative development at the Nationwide Western Advanced’s grounds. She’s additionally an outdated buddy, and a recognized amount with regards to supporting key Denver reasons, Coors stated. Like him, Magness Blake is one among Colorado’s industry and philanthropic elite, but additionally a boots-on-the-ground kind with regards to Western tradition.
“Sharon’s love of horses is known; from proudly owning and elevating Arabian horses to exciting Denver Broncos lovers with Thunder she has made innumerable contributions to the arena of horses,” he wrote.
Magness Blake, the widow of billionaire cable TV pioneer Bob Magness, who died in 1996, has lengthy raised and educated horses. Because the Inventory Display rightly boasts, Magness Racing Ventures bought 900 racing horses international at its top. Since 2004, Magness Blake has been married to former Breckenridge mayor and retired lawyer Ernie Blake, who additionally stocks her love of horses and travels with Thunder.
Magness, who lives with Blake in Cherry Hills, has sat on forums and raised cash for Volunteers of The usa, the Denver Council of Boy Scouts of The usa, the College of Colorado Health center Basis, the Garth Brooks Teammates for Children Basis, Susan G. Komen for the Remedy, the World Down Syndrome Basis, Denver Heart for the Appearing Arts and lots of others. She’s additionally president of the Thunder Basis, a spouse with Denver’s Epicurean Catering, and organizer of the Denver Broncos’ annual vacation birthday celebration for the Boys & Ladies Golf equipment of Metro Denver.
Nonetheless, she’s maximum carefully related in society circles with Western Fable, the primary fundraiser for Volunteers of The usa, wherein she’s raised about $40 million during the last 3 many years. She’s stepping again from that now, she stated, following a few staph infections during the last 12 months that just about killed her, each from again surgical procedures.
Thankfully, remaining 12 months’s Western Fable raised $2.8 million — thank you partially to her husband stepping in to promote tables whilst she used to be getting better.
“It’s humorous as a result of I’m very aggressive,” she stated of the 31-year-old match, which she co-founded with Jean Galloway. “We beat each and every different match in Denver remaining 12 months in (fundraising totals), which used to be our first 12 months ever to do this. So this used to be going out on a top observe for me.”
She’s assured that once the $1 billion Inventory Display mission is completed, the muddy attraction of the development will stay. With CEO Paul Andrews stepping down subsequent 12 months, it’s vitally essential to proceed the group’s legacy and persona.
“It’s going to be a brand new awakening, if you’ll get folks in there — which I’m positive we can,” she stated. “We’ll be capable of enjoy Western heritage in a contemporary method, and teach folks about it, as a result of let’s face it: you’ve were given to achieve younger folks in several techniques than we used to.”
Magness Blake is excited to make use of her place to donate, arrange, and in a different way enhance nonprofit reasons. However the 2025 Citizen of the West award goes no longer simply to her, however to numerous individuals who have helped in her efforts over time, she stated.
“It’s nice popularity no longer only for what I do, however what I’m a part of, as a result of teamwork is what the West is actually about,” she stated. “Most of the people don’t do issues for credit score, they do it as a result of they like it. … They don’t need any popularity, however are at all times there when you wish to have them.”
The forty sixth Citizen of the West award dinner takes position Jan. 13, 2025. Proceeds enhance the Nationwide Western Scholarship Accept as true with. For tickets, name Erika Schroeder at 303-299-5560 or e-mail eschroeder@nationalwestern.com.
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