Happy Anniversary, Out & About!

This year marks the 15th Anniversary of Imagine!’s Out & About department making a positive difference in the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families by providing positive instruction and community-based services within a therapeutic framework.

Out & About was created in 1997 in response to the requests of community members with disabilities and family members who care for those with disabilities. Since that time, Out & About has continued to grow and develop into a dynamic, exciting, and flexible organization thanks to the ideas, requests and suggestions of staff members, the community, and the people they serve.

Out & About offers community-based recreation programming for adults and children with developmental disabilities, including: 

• Catalog - Services offered on evenings and weekends for adults. Some examples include: swimming, equine therapy, bowling, hiking, holiday dance parties, arts & crafts, Denver Zoo, Museum of Nature and Science, Water World and Elitch Gardens. Out & About also offers a mid-day Saturday activity for school aged children.

• After School Program - Offered to school-aged children. Participants are picked up from their respective school and driven to the activity by an Out & About instructor.

• Summer Camp and select School Closure Days  – Full day services for school aged children when school is not in session.

In each program area Out & About uses positive instruction within a therapeutic framework to encourage growth, learning, community participation, socialization, health, safety and the achievement of individual goals for each participant.

To honor this important anniversary, Out & About will be hosting a celebration event this Friday, November 2, in conjunction with its usual Friday Night Out event. The celebration is free and open to the public, and will take place from 6:30 – 9:30 in the John Taylor Conference Center’s Pounds Conference Room, located in Imagine!’s office at 1665 Coal Creek Drive in Lafayette. 

If you are interested in attending, please contact Haley Jones Short, Out & About, Therapeutic Specialist/Evenings and Weekend Coordinator, at hjones@imaginecolorado.org.

Congratulations, Out & About! 

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Cash Donations

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Boulder Community Hospital – Silver Sponsor of Imagine! Celebration

Associate ($500-$999)
Harold & Connie Jackson
Carl Vertuca

Supporter ($250-$499)
Richard & Diana Lirtzman
In Memory of Sarah McInroy (for Imagine!’s Assistive Technology Lab)
  From Gary Dillard
  From Sarah’s Cousins Back East

Friend ($1-$249)
Bob & Cindy Baxt
In Honor of BC Interiors
  From Mad Seating
Tom & Susan Chesney
Kathy Coyne
Harris Faberman
Don Humphrey
In Memory of Sarah McInroy (for Imagine!'s Assistive Technology Lab)
  From Anonymous
  From Doris Brack
  From Robin Brewer
  From Mike Cooperman & Shirley Kasperbauer
  From Lyle & Beverly Dehning
  From Don & Brenda Graffis
  From Jean Hagenbuch
  From Kara Halley
  From Harry & Wanda Heibein
  From Barbara Kohler
  From Doug & Carol Creech
  From Dan & Kathy Leszcynski
  From Joseph & Dorothy Lindley
  From Cindy Lindquist
  From Don & Victoria Martin
  From Alan Mason & Maggie English
  From Sam & Kay McInroy
  From Sam & Sharon McInroy
  From Barbara McKenzie
  From Colleen Mecseji
  From Harry Robinson, Jr.
  From Vapotherm, Inc.
  From Lisa Vigil
  From Michael & Catherine Violette
In Memory of Billy Montgomery (for the Bob & Judy Charles SmartHome)
  From Charlene Laughlin
Arthur & Barbara Sward

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Associate ($500-$999)
Boulder Community Hospital – Imagine! Celebration Auction Items: Heart Scan and Bike Fit

In-Kind Supporter ($250-$499)
Anonymous – Imagine! Celebration Auction Item: Royal Doulton figurine “Victorian Lady”
Smoker Friendly– Imagine! Celebration Auction Item: A Premium Cigar Basket

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous – Imagine! Celebration Auction Item: Royal Doulton figurine “Bed Time”
Hotel Boulderado – Imagine! Celebration Auction Item: One night stay
Jeffrey K. Abrams Architect – Imagine! Celebration Auction Item: One hour consultation
Leonard’s Golf – Imagine! Celebration Auction Item: $50 gift certificate for lessons or practice

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Thank You, Energy Outreach Colorado

Today we’d like to thank Energy Outreach Colorado, which has provided a combination of in-kind and cash support for energy audits and significant energy efficiency improvements to two of Imagine!'s group residences over the past year through its Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP).

This support will reduce Imagine!'s energy consumption and costs at these facilities for years to come -- thereby strengthening Imagine!’s capacity to provide the broad range of services needed by people of all ages with developmental delays and disabilities throughout Boulder and Broomfield Counties.

Energy Outreach Colorado is the only independent, non-profit organization in the state that raises money to help limited income Coloradans afford home energy. Since 1989, EOC has raised more than $120 million to fund energy bill payment assistance, energy efficiency upgrades for affordable housing and nonprofit facilities, energy efficiency education, and advocacy on behalf of low-income energy consumers. Energy Outreach Colorado relies on private donations, corporate contributions and foundation grants.

Thanks, Energy Outreach Colorado, for your support of some of Colorado’s most vulnerable citizens.

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Platinum ($10,000+)
In Memory of Guy and Elaine Smith, Cari Pounds’ loving grandparents (for van for Imagine!’s Tenino House)

Associate ($500-$999)
John Moritz

Supporter ($250-$499)
In Memory of Sarah McInroy (for Imagine!’s Assistive Technology Lab)
  From Karri-Ada Kennedy

Friend ($1-$249)
Jim & Donna Lionberger
In Memory of Sarah McInroy (for Imagine!'s Assistive Technology Lab)
  From Bernie & Leona Stoecker
Jim & Sue Rector

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Friend
Leona Stoecker – Imagine! Celebration Auction Item - One freshly baked loaf of bread each month for a year

As always, we thank all of our generous donors. 

Thank You To All Of Our Donors

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who support Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation with cash and in-kind contributions. We publish the names of our donors on a yearly basis.

Click here to see the list of those who donated during fiscal year 2011-2012 (7/1/11 – 6/30/12).

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Cash Donations

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Energy Outreach Colorado – Grant of $8,818.08 for energy upgrades at Imagine!’s Manhattan Apartments

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
One Lafayette – Grant of $1,500 from City of Lafayette for emergency services for Lafayette families with a family member with developmental disabilities

Associate ($500-$999)
Olivia Edwards
John Thacker

Friend ($1-$249)
Martin & Helen Goldman
In Honor of Joanne Graham and Janine Randol
  from Stacey Forsyth
iGive.com 
John & Anna Mandis
In Memory of Sarah McInroy
  from Alice Galenson and Louis Thompson
Open Sky Event Marketing 
Virginia Patterson
United Way of Tri-County on behalf of Robert Kretsch

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Friend
Denver Boulder Couriers – one courier trip

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Thanking The Daniels Fund

Today we’d like to say “thank you” to The Daniels Fund, which recently awarded Imagine! a $15,000 grant for Family Support Grants for families living in Broomfield who have a child with a developmental disability.

Why does this matter? Well, in 2010, the average cost of raising a child to the age of 18 has been calculated at $226,920, or almost $14,000 per year.

Now imagine if that child has a disability - the costs can become staggering. That is what makes Imagine!’s Family Support Grants so important, and why we are so grateful to the Daniels Fund for their support. Imagine! Family Support Grants help pay for the extraordinary costs of caring for a family member who has a developmental disability. Funds may be used to help pay for respite care, professional services, transportation, assistive technology, home modifications, and parent and sibling support.

The Daniels Fund awarded support grants for Broomfield families totaling $10,000 in 2009 and $15,000 in 2010. The organization has given a total of $40,000 to the grant program since 2009.

According to their website,

“The Daniels Fund, founded through the generous legacy of Bill Daniels, operates the Daniels Fund Grants Program and the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The Daniels Fund Grants Program supports nonprofit organizations in our four-state region as well as national programs. Each year, approximately 70% of the Daniels Fund’s community investments are made through the Daniels Fund Grants Program in the following areas: Aging, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Amateur Sports, Disabilities, Early Childhood Education, K-12 Education Reform, Ethics and Integrity in Education, Homeless and Disadvantaged, and Youth Development.”

A recent article in The Broomfield Enterprise highlighted the most recent grant from The Daniels Fund and shared one family’s story of how the grant was used to purchase an iPad and a set of educational programs to help their son learn and communicate.

We are so grateful to The Daniels Fund for their continued support of Broomfield families. Thank you!!!

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Cash Donations

Platinum ($10,000+)
PEH Architects, Inc. – gift of $15,000 for Imagine!’s Broomfield Group Home

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Imagine! Employees – First Quarter “Transcend $10,000” Imagine! Employee Donation Program

Friend ($1-$249)
Helen Bosley

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Andrea VanPeursem - Recumbent Stationary Bike

In-Kind Supporter ($250-$499)
Jan Rasmussen – Women’s Clothing

In-Kind Friend (Up to $249)
Bill & Beverly Sabin - For Imagine! Celebration Auction - Framed “Imagine” Photo from John Lennon Peace Wall in Prague (see photo)

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities.

Since 1984, Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department has been supporting Colorado’s Front Range communities by providing innovative supported employment solutions for businesses and for people who have a disability, including cognitive disabilities.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities, paying taxes and spending their hard earned money in neighborhood shops and restaurants. The benefits extend far beyond helping Imagine! clients, however. Businesses using CORE/Labor Source services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

Many companies throughout Boulder and Broomfield counties hire individuals served by Imagine!. Click here to see a list of those businesses, and you are encouraged to visit them and say “thank you."

And please consider using CORE/Labor Source for your own staffing needs. It is a mutually beneficial way to help your community and your bottom line. Feel free to contact them at 303-775-3244 or triley@imaginecolorado.org.

Out & About Summer Camp Wrap-Up

Ten weeks flew by like the wind, and Imagine!’s Out & About Summer Camp has come to an end. From June 4 to August 10, Out & About hosted 45 school-aged children with developmental disabilities for 9-10 hour days during the work week. Horseback riding, swimming, art exploration, rock climbing, field games, Elitch Gardens, and Water World were just a few of the many activities the Summer Camp offered.

“Summer Camp practically starts in March, given all the preparation for hiring, training, and activity set up,” said Scott Wendelberger, Hiring/Training Coordinator. “It’s a big production. We brought in 15 temporary instructors for just the 10 weeks and we spend 35 hours on training the week before the kids come.”

This summer was Out & About’s biggest year in enrollment since 2009, including six participants brand new to Out & About. The big numbers in the summer are spilling over into the After School Program for school-aged kids, with seven more kids enrolled this September compared to last September.

Here’s what some parents had to say about their experiences with Out & About:

“The social interaction, the day to day communications and the level of productivity in my son’s day has been outstanding”

“The respite camp provides for our family; knowing our son is in good hands while we work or rest.”

“Allows single parent to work and engages child to grow.”

“Keep up the awesome program, we love Out & About, your staff is stellar!”

Congratulations to the Out & About staff for another outstanding Summer Camp!