The Graduate School of Business Association at CU-Boulder is hosting its 6th annual Barney Ford Benefit to raise money for scholarships that will build a more diverse student population.
This year聮s event will be a beer tasting and silent auction at Trios Grille and Wine Bar in Boulder at Canyon Boulevard and Broadway from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. Tickets, which are available at the door, are $25 per person. All proceeds go to the Barney Ford Scholarship Fund.
"We hope the scholarship fund will continue to grow and become a major influence in the education of the business leaders of tomorrow," said Brian Craver, executive vice president of the GSBA. Graduate students plan and host the event each year.
Craver said the local business community has given generous donations over the past few years and has helped make the benefit a success. In addition, faculty, staff and friends of the business college donate items to be auctioned.
The scholarship fund is named for Barney Ford, who escaped slavery and arrived in Denver in the 1850s. He was a successful entrepreneur who eventually made a fortune in mining.
During the Civil War, Ford taught black adults to read and write. He also is credited with keeping Colorado from becoming part of the United States until it was agreed it would enter as a free state.