On November 11, Mount Saint Vincent hosted its annual Silver Bell Ball. Alumni, caregivers, volunteers and others who have been a part of Mount Saint Vincent’s mission for 140 years were honored at the event.

Learn more about the compassionate care Mount Saint Vincent provides, and how it has touched countless lives of children and families in our communities. 

Foster mom Angela Pratt came to Mount Saint Vincent to offer her home as a safe space for children in crisis. She has since come to love the comprehensive children’s behavioral health program and the caregivers who have offered so much support to her. 

 Pratt became a foster parent a year ago and cares for two young children. As a single parent, Pratt relies on the Mount Saint Vincent preschool program. In addition, both of her children receive therapy through Mount Saint Vincent’s pediatric behavioral health program.  

 “I benefit from Mount Saint Vincent being a wholistic organization,” said Pratt, who works in children’s ministry at a church. “The ways that the different programs and departments work together has allowed me and my children to flourish.  

 “Without that interconnectedness and depth of therapeutic programs and resources, my kids wouldn’t be with me,” she said. The program has helped her children be successful.  

 On November 11, Denver’s Mount Saint Vincent, part of the Intermountain Health system, will celebrate 140 years of helping many children and families find success.  

 The annual Silver Bell Ball will celebrate caregivers, supporters, alumni, and Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth – the founders of Mount Saint Vincent. 

 Pratt knew that if any of her church students were in crisis, she would volunteer to care for them.  

 “Then I saw this need for safe, caring stable adults to create a space for kids to land when families are enduring hardship. Foster care was an extension of my life calling,” she said.  

Pratt grew up in Denver and continues to live in the area. She said she had many adults in her life who cared for her growing up. It now feels like a “sweet opportunity” to be that caring adult in another child’s life.  

 Mount Saint Vincent caregivers help her fulfill that role, she said.  

 One night, around 11 p.m., she called Mount Saint Vincent because one of her children had an outburst in her home and created quite a mess. Pratt was stunned when the caregiver offered to come to her home to help clean up.  

 “That’s unheard of,” Pratt said. “That’s the kind of support we get. We are doing this in partnership with all these other people who also care deeply about children’s wellbeing and creating healthy adults who will give back to this city in the future.”  

The foster program is one of Mount Saint Vincent’s core services which also include the community preschool and pediatric behavioral healthcare. The behavioral healthcare services offer day treatment and education, outpatient therapy, and in-home therapy. 

Founded as an orphanage by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1883, Mount Saint Vincent has continuously evolved to meet the community’s changing needs for children and their families.  

Across the nation and in Colorado, there’s a mental health crisis among youth. To meet the increasing need for mental health services, Mount Saint Vincent is expanding its pediatric behavioral health program to best serve children and families in today’s environment. The organization’s mission is to partner with children and families to heal beyond trauma into a healthy and hopeful future. Mount Saint Vincent helps people live the healthiest lives possible. 

“Mount Saint Vincent has a history like no other. We have over 140 years of changing lives,” said Darah Meyer, clinical director.  

The Silver Bell Ball is held each year to raise money to support programs at Mount Saint Vincent. The event includes live and silent auctions, dinner, dancing, and live music. Sponsorships and ticket packages to support the event are available. The event is 5:30 p.m.,  Saturday, November 11 at the Denver Grand Hyatt.  

In June, Mount Saint Vincent, now a part of Intermountain Health, celebrated its 140th anniversary. Mount Saint Vincent serves the community through three key program areas: community preschool, foster care services and pediatric behavioral healthcare. Within those behavioral healthcare services are day treatment and education, outpatient therapy and in-home therapy.  

Founded as an orphanage by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas in 1883, Mount Saint Vincent has continuously evolved to meet the community’s changing needs for children and their families. 

Mount Saint Vincent is run by compassionate, experienced and dedicated caregivers. One of those caregivers is Sister Michael Delores Allegri. Sister Michael has worked as a teacher, a principal and a buildings and grounds manager, but always knew she wanted to be a foster parent. She first came to Mount Saint Vincent in the 1980s. At the time she was a high school teacher and she stayed for a few weeks during the summer. The following summer she led the recreation portion of the boys' summer program and from 1986-1990 she was the unit manager of a group of boys aged 8-10.  

In 1990, she went back to Kansas City and worked in a school for seven years. At the time, she lived with three Sisters, one was a foster parent. When Sister Michael came back to Denver, she asked the community if she could be a foster parent, and in 1999, her journey began with five foster children.  

Since 1999, she’s fostered more than 100 children. Currently, she has three foster kids ranging in age from two to 18. She explained that of every role she’s had and every job she’s done, fostering has been the most meaningful.  

“I think the thing that has been the most challenging and life-changing has been fostering,” she said. “There is something very special about Mount Saint Vincent. There is a feeling when you walk on the grounds that God is there. It feels like he’s in the building with us.” 

Sister Michael, who is 81 years old, has no plans to stop fostering any time soon. “I always say if I have the health and ability to do it, I will continue to care for the children as long as I can. We have Sisters at the mother house who are 90 and 100 and still going strong. As long as I am able, this is what I want to do.” 

Sister Michael’s primary responsibility is to help the children reach their full potential. Her goal is to help reunify children with their families if the family is able to provide a healthy environment for them.  

“You’re helping to heal a family,” she said. “If the parents are unable to care for their children, we help move the children into an adoptive home. In those cases, you’re helping to create a new family for parents who couldn’t have children of their own. What greater gift could you give to someone?” 

She is still in contact with some of the children she fostered and regularly speaks with them on their birthdays, and occasionally, they’ll invite her to lunch. 

“The day the kids move in, we know they’re going to move out,” explained Sister Michael. “Our job is to help make them ready to go to their permanent family, whether it’s back with their parents or with new ones. It’s hard when you have to say goodbye to a child, but I know when I do it, I’m putting them where they need to be for the long term and that’s incredibly rewarding,” Sister Michael said. 

In 2022, the Mount Saint Vincent board of directors shifted away from providing residential treatment services and focused on outpatient and day treatment programs to best serve children and families in today’s environment.   

“Mount Saint Vincent is here to meet the needs of kids today, however that looks,” Sister Michael said. “We started as an orphanage and when the government shut down orphanages in the 1960s, it became a residential treatment center for kids who were one step below a mental health institution. Though our services have changed, our mission has been the same for the past 140 years. We help abused, neglected and behavioral health-challenged children function fully in their homes and society.” 

“Mount Saint Vincent has the commitment and desire to help kids live to their full potential and work through their trauma,” said Sister Michael. “It’s a really special place and I believe wholeheartedly that God is there, and we are taking care of his children. What better thing can a person do than that?” 

Intermountain Healthcare recognizes the value of collaborating with community organizations to further our mission. As a part of its ongoing community benefit program, in March 2022, Intermountain approved $525,000 in Community Contributions to nine partners in Colorado and Montana to support health improvement programming. The funds are being given through one-time contributions to qualified non-profit and governmental partners.  

The Community Contributions are about our hospitals' legacies in the communities they serve, Intermountain Peaks Region's commitment to community, and addressing the community health needs uncovered during our Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) in 2018 and 2021. The contributions were made in the following categories: Improve Mental Well-Being, Address the Social Determinants of Health and Improve Access. 

On July 15, Intermountain Healthcare Peaks Region President, Mark Korth, visited Good Samaritan Medical Center, Lutheran Medical Center and Mount Saint Vincent to present the financial gifts.  

At Good Samaritan, a $15,000 check was given to Boulder County Area Agency on Aging (BCAAA) in support of its Aging Mastery Program (AMP) which helps older adults make meaningful changes to live well, do well and age well, minimizing their risk for mental stressors like depression and anxiety.   

AMP is a six-week fun, innovative and interactive program that empowers older adults and caregivers in Boulder County to spend more time each day doing things that are good for themselves. The classes are free and are hosted at Good Samaritan.  

“We prioritize giving to align with community health priorities identified by members of our community in order to allow for a broader impact,” said Mark Korth. “One of our priorities is improving mental well-being which includes efforts to decrease frequent mental distress rates and depression rates. The Boulder County Area Agency On Aging is well positioned to help people live healthier and happier lives with the incredible services and resources they provide.”

At Lutheran Medical Center, Chuck Ault, Senior Director of Regional Community Health Improvement for Intermountain Healthcare, joined Calvin Beasley, Lutheran Medical Center VP of Integrative Services, to present a $20,000 gift to the Wheat Ridge Community Foundation to support the Jefferson County Homeless Navigation and the City of Wheat Ridge Homeless Navigation programs.  

The Homeless Navigator is part of a county-wide navigation model that works directly with people experiencing homelessness or who are at imminent risk of homelessness find stable housing and connect them with services and resources to maintain that housing. The funds will be used for move-in kits, transportation and motel vouchers, housing deposits, hats, mittens and gloves.  

“As part of our mission to help people live healthier lives, we support community organizations that provide services that align with Intermountain’s mission and values,” said Mark Korth. “We are committed to helping support organizations like the Wheat Ridge Community Foundation and others in the communities that previously were served by Legacy SCL Health across Colorado and Montana.”  

A $50,000 check was given to Mount Saint Vincent to help support its innovative programs that provide foster care services for children and families recovering from trauma, abuse and neglect, as well as a high-quality early childhood learning center to help all children develop age-appropriate social and academic skills. 

“For more than 130 years, Mount Saint Vincent has transformed the lives of thousands of young people,” said Mark Korth. “We look forward to continuing to partner with them as we continue to evolve and create a model for the future of healthcare that focuses on keeping young people healthy and proactively provides behavioral health treatment, foster care services, individualized training, and trauma-informed training. Mount Saint Vincent is an important part of the Intermountain family, and we are proud to be able to help support the continuum of care for children and families recovering from trauma.

Denver, CO - Mount Saint Vincent is an SCL Health Care Site affiliate and the Rocky Mountain region’s premier provider of mental health treatment, foster care services, individualized education and trauma-informed training for children and their families.

Mount Saint Vincent (MSV) already demonstrates our value of caring spirit each day through the amazing services they provide to children and their families, but they are kicking it up a notch with some new outpatient services. Starting in 2009, MSV began offering innovative and proven services to children ages 3 to 17, including animal assisted therapy, art therapy, dance therapy and more. MSV had seen great results in their residential program similar inpatient clinics and wanted to expand services to the community, especially at a time when families were needing additional support during the pandemic and seeking new ways to strengthen the parent/child relationship.

Services like animal assisted therapy are especially helpful in getting children to feel more comfortable and trusting with their therapist. “When you bring an animal into a room with a child, the entire dynamic can change,” said Jay Voigt, Executive Director at MSV. “The children see a dog feeling safe with the therapist, and they may feel more comfortable – ultimately opening the door for us to talk about and address core issues.”

MSV currently has five dogs and three guinea pigs on staff. The dogs are required to go through intensive training designed to help them understand certain behaviors that may mean a child is uncomfortable or needing special attention. The dogs serve as not only a fuzzy, cuddle buddy, but also an intelligent companion.

The outpatient therapies that MSV provides is open to any child and their family. If you or someone you know could benefit from an outlet to process challenging events (of this year or beyond), MSV experts are ready to serve with giggles, wags, awesome dance moves and so much more.

Denver, CO - From nearly the moment he was born, Paul was dealt a losing hand. His mother, barely in her teens, was living with her dad, had dropped out of school, and lacked effective parenting skills. After her father passed away, Paul’s mother was too overwhelmed to care for her child, so the three-year-old was taken in by his maternal aunt.

Over the next several years, Paul bounced from home to home as custody disputes resulted in constant upheaval. Paul experienced the chaos and turmoil of different households; shifting expectations; and the uncertainty of people moving in and out of his home with children, dogs and babies in tow. Chronic instability was his norm.

Receiving little adult guidance and with no one to model himself after, Paul’s behaviors became unmanageable.

Paul entered Mount Saint Vincent’s K–8 Day Treatment program with a long list of prior school violations, including property destruction, inappropriate language, and frequent physical and verbal aggression toward peers and adults. He was just eight years old.

Mount Saint Vincent’s approach to helping children like Paul casts off the punitive model that punishes children for unwanted behavior. Instead, the agency uses a highly relational and respectful approach. “Instead of asking ‘What’s wrong with this child?’ we ask, ‘What happened to this child and how can we help?’” explains Executive Director Kirk Ward, LCSW. The difference in outcomes is astounding.

Over the next two weeks, Paul’s care team of school staff, therapists, and educational mental health workers reviewed his case, observed his behaviors, and came up with a treatment plan. Their goals as an agency were to raise his self-esteem, help him with emotional regulation, and teach him healthy coping skills.

“When I first asked him to name some emotions, he could only come up with two: happy and sad,” said Child and Family Therapist Courtney Hadjeasgari, MA, LPP. “We worked on identifying various emotions and what they feel like in our bodies.”

School presented its own challenges. At first, when Paul struggled with academic work, he refused to ask for help; he would give up and run out of the classroom, nearly in tears. “He was extremely frustrated,” said Special Education Teacher Alex McCall. “It took some time, but we eventually identified several tools that helped him stay regulated enough for him to focus on his school work.”

Animal-assisted therapy helped Paul build relationships. Learning to interact safely with an animal often translates into the ability to form human friendships. But it was art therapy that helped Paul turn a corner. “It’s 100 percent his platform, where he is the most comfortable and himself,” said Courtney.

Paul recently completed a past-present-future art activity with his art therapist, Christine Ratcliffe, MA. The extensive project detailed what his life had been like and what he wanted it to look like moving forward. “It’s both artistic and incredibly self-aware,” Courtney said.

Six months later, Paul is a different boy. In school, he raises his hand and asks, “I’m stuck, can you help me?” He participates in classroom discussions, offering insightful thoughts and ideas. He was elected to student council and was named “Student of the Week” not once, but twice.

“We’re so proud of him and all the incredibly hard work he has done,” said Alex. “But best of all, Paul is proud of himself.” And that is exactly as it should be.

Denver, CO - As one would imagine, some funny situations took place over the nearly five decades that Sister Roberta was at Mount Saint Vincent. Perhaps one of the funniest stories involved an unusual donation.

Sister Jean was being trained to manage the front desk. Sister Frances instructed her to never refuse a donation because that was Mount Saint Vincent’s policy. “The thought was if we couldn’t use whatever was being donated, then we’d find someone else who could,” Sister Roberta said.

One day, a man brought in a live monkey in a brass cage. He placed the cage on the desk and said he wanted to donate it to the orphanage. “Doing as she was instructed, Sister Jean thanked the man and accepted his donation,” Sister Roberta said. “I’m pretty sure that was when our donation acceptance policy was slightly revised.”

What happened to the little monkey? With our dear Sister Roberta now gone, we may never know. It will remain just another mystery about Mount Saint Vincent.