Thanks To Dave Query and Big Red F Restaurant Group

This past Thursday, Dave Query, owner of Big Red F Restaurant Group, once again treated Imagine! clients and their families to a traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.

Query donated the makings for a delicious Zolo-style repast with all the trimmings, and the wait staff volunteered its time. There was no charge for the meal for the clients and their families, and no tips were necessary. Query said that he just likes to make the day a little easier for families associated with Imagine!.

This is the seventh year Query has offered this generous opportunity, and in the last six years, The Big Red F Restaurant Group has donated Thanksgiving dinner to over 2,500 Imagine! clients and families.

So here’s a post-Thanksgiving thanks to Dave and his staff for providing such a fantastic holiday meal to Imagine! families.

Imagine! In The News

Imagine! staff members work hard to share the successes of our organizations and the people we serve with the community at large, so everyone can see the contributions individuals with developmental disabilities can make if given the opportunity.

One way we do this is by sharing stories with members of the local media. A couple of examples are below.

You may be aware that some students in a CORE/Labor Source journalism class have been having articles they have written appear in the Times Call. The one linked below, which ran in the paper on November 14, is especially thoughtful, as one of the people we serve discusses what it is like to live with a disability.

Check it out.

And a very nice story appeared in the November 20 edition of the Longmont Times Call about a group of special visitors to the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Have a look.

Imagine! Through The Eyes Of One We Serve

Sometimes, the best way to learn about an organization like Imagine! is to hear from the people the organization serves. The story below initially appeared in the Longmont Times-Call on Sunday, November 14, 2010. I think you’ll find what Mike has written truly captures the mission of Imagine!.

To see more of what the CORE-Longmont Reviewers have written, click here.

Living With Disability: The Way I See It

By Mike Williams of the CORE-Longmont Reviewers

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mike Williams, and I am one of the CORE-Longmont Reviewers. The topic of my article is how society views the disabled community.

You know, folks, sometimes society makes me sick with the way they view us: the disabled community. Everywhere I go, there is always someone giving a disabled person a hard time by giving them a dirty look, cracking a joke about that person or just talking about them behind their back.

Folks, I don’t know you, nor do you know me, but allow me to tell you a little about myself: I am 25 years old, and I was born with autism. I can’t even begin to tell you how badly it hurt me with the way society treated me.

Thankfully, Colorado has an agency dedicated to helping those with disabilities. It is called Imagine!, a nonprofit organization based in Lafayette. I have been a client for seven years.

Not only does Imagine! help those with disabilities, but it also has helped thousands of clients to learn to live on their own. Sadly, some of their clients may never know what independent living is like due to their disabilities. Luckily, Imagine! has homes for them, be it a group home or with care providers. Imagine! also helps its clients find gainful employment through Labor Source, which teaches individuals work-related skills by working on a work crew.

Imagine! has many day programs, so the client isn’t always sitting around being bored. One of the day programs is called CORE: Community, Opportunity, Relationship, Education. There are two of these day programs. One is in Boulder and the other in Longmont. CORE offers many different classes, such as music, cooking, hiking, swimming, and (my personal favorite) photography.

If you have any questions about Imagine! or its services, visit http://www.imaginecolorado.org/.

Until next time, your friend Mike Williams.

CORE/Labor Source Art Show and Performance

On Friday, Nov. 5, approximately 250 people crowded into the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder for an art show opening and performance by artists and performers in Imagine!'s CORE/Labor Source classes.

Donna read a story about all the great things that have happened to her in the past year or so, including moving into the Charles SmartHome in Boulder and getting married.

Bobbi with one of her art pieces.

The demand for one of Gerald's pieces of art was so great that six prints of his paintings are being made!


Wes with one of his pieces of art.

Left Hand/Instant Imprints Fundraiser a Success

On Wednesday, November 3, 2010, Left Hand Brewing Company and Instant Imprints hosted a fundraiser for Imagine! at Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont. Left Hand donated $1.00 per pint of beer sold, and Instant Imprints donated special Left Hand/Imagine! t-shirts, which were sold during the evening, with proceeds going to Imagine! as well.

In all, more than $500 was raised for Imagine!’s programs and services!

Thanks to Eric Wallace, an Imagine! Foundation board member and president of Left Hand Brewing Company, and Foundation board member Forrest Fleming, owner of Instant Imprints, for organizing the event.

Extra special thanks to all who showed up to support people with developmental disabilities.

Great Video

You know, the best endorsements of what we do at Imagine! come not from us, but from the folks and the communities we serve.

Broomfield United Methodist Church made this video below and showed it at their services on October 3rd. The video includes comments by Carl, the church’s custodian who receives support services from Imagine!, and his brother Scott, regarding the partnership between Broomfield United Methodist Church and Imagine!.

Thanks to the good folks at Broomfield United Methodist Church for their support of Imagine!, but more importantly, their support of Carl.