Published: Oct. 24, 2001

The University of Colorado Foundation at Â鶹¹ÙÍø announced that the ChopHouse & Brewery has donated more than $4,500 from it's recent grand opening fund raiser to need-based scholarships at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø.

According to Eric Doepel, Foundation development director for scholarships at CU, the ChopHouse funds will be dedicated to two in-state students this school year. "This gift is both need-based and campus-wide, which are two very important gift attributes for our program. These sorts of gifts ensure that some very deserving students, in a variety of disciplines, can continue their studies," said Doepel.

The two-day fundraiser celebrated the grand opening of a new ChopHouse & Brewery in Â鶹¹ÙÍø, the fourth such restaurant in the country. The ChopHouse is owned and operated by Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc., which is based in Louisville.

Rock Bottom currently owns and operates 82 restaurants across the United States - 50 Old Chicago restaurants and 32 brewery concepts operating under the names Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, ChopHouse & Brewery, Brew Moon Bistro and Microbrewery, and Walnut Brewery.

Frank Day, founder and chairman of the board of Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc., and Gina Day are long-time Â鶹¹ÙÍø residents and donors to a variety of programs at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø. Gina Day is a member of CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø's Music Advisory Board at the College of Music and Frank is an advisory board member of the Leeds College of Business' Deming Center for Entrepreneurship.

Scholarships have been established by the Day family at the College of Music and a graduate fellowship has been established in their name at the College of Business.

Rock Bottom also is a Folsom Field sponsor and is involved with other support activities for the CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø Athletics Department.

"We hope that the generosity of the Days and Rock Bottom Restaurants will serve as an example of how other locally-based businesses can create scholarship support for needy students at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø," added Doepel. "State support alone cannot compensate for the large numbers of qualified students unable to pay for tuition, room and board."

Inquiries about establishing student scholarships at the University of Colorado at Â鶹¹ÙÍø should be addressed to Eric Doepel at (303) 735-3755 or eric.doepel@cufund.colorado.edu.