UCHealth’s annual home run derby raises $120,000 for Next Chapter and its community partners

Aurora, Colo. (June 13, 2024) – UCHealth will donate $120,000 to Next Chapter and its partner agencies after the success of the 6th annual charity home run derby, Healthy Swings. Next Chapter is a suicide prevention and wellness program that works with community partners to provide behavioral health and psychosocial services for veterans. 

“This was a fantastic evening dedicated to an important cause – helping veterans in crisis,” said Manny Rodriguez, chief marketing, experience and customer officer for UCHealth. “UCHealth has long been a strong supporter of military personnel, military families and veterans. We are pleased to give back to those who have served our country. Healthy Swings is one of many ways UCHealth works with partners to connect with our communities to ensure Coloradans are able to live healthy, extraordinary lives.” Rodriguez said. 

The UCHealth Healthy Swings event brought together professional football players Courtland Sutton, Matt Henningsen, Pat Surtain II, Jarrett Stidham, Baron Browning, and teammates, who took turns swinging for the fences. For every hit, UCHealth made a donation ranging from $50 to $5,000. Courtland Sutton, whose uncle was in the Navy, was named the winner by raising the most money with just his swings alone—just over $34,000. 

“It’s huge to support the veterans. The hard work and commitment they made to this country allows us to do this and be out here for this event. This is the least we can do to give back and raise money for Next Chapter and the people they help,” said Sutton. 

“The organizations that operate under the Next Chapter umbrella will benefit from this donation. This will help inject additional resources to increase access to services for veterans like housing and employment support, short-term access to medication, behavioral health and addictions treatment,” said retired Lt. Col. Damian McCabe, director of behavioral health and military affairs at UCHealth. 

Every year, UCHealth selects a different nonprofit as the beneficiary for Healthy Swings. UCHealth has donated more than $660,000 to beneficiaries over the past five years, which includes Food for Thought Denver, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Gold Crown Foundation and the American Cancer Society. Last year, UCHealth’s donation provided more than 192,000 meals to close the weekend hunger gap for children through Food for Thought Denver. In 2022, the American Cancer Society was able to use the more than $250,000 donation to help increase screening rates in Colorado for colorectal and high-risk lung cancer among vulnerable patient populations. 

 Note to media: Video and interviews from the event can be found here.