Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thank You Thursday!

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

Cash Donations

Bronze ($1,000-$2,500)
Mutual of America – Table at Imagine! Celebration

Supporter ($250-$499)
ATG Holdings, Inc. – Tickets at the Imagine! Celebration
Dan & Sandra Stevens

Friend ($1-$249)
Invest in Others Charitable Foundation, Inc. – For Out & About

In-Kind Gifts

In-Kind Silver
Liquor Mart – Wine and sparkling wine for the Imagine! Celebration plus Craft Brew and five Wine-A-Month live auction items for the event.

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Thanking The Virginia W. Hill Foundation

Today, we’d like to thank The Virginia W. Hill Foundation for its recent grant of $5,000 to support Imagine!’s Dayspring department’s Community Calendar Activities (CCA) program. We very much appreciate the Foundation’s support of this valuable extension of our early intervention services for young children with developmental disabilities or delays.

Through CCA, Imagine!’s early childhood special educators and pediatric occupational therapists work with babies and toddlers during group play and fitness activities in community settings, encouraging motor, sensory, social, emotional, cognitive, and speech and language development. CCA enhances the impact of direct therapies during a critical window in human development, thereby increasing the chances that these vulnerable children will “catch up” to their age peers. In addition, the program provides the children’s families both an introduction to appropriate activities in their communities and the confidence to access them independently.

This is The Virginia W. Hill Foundation’s second grant to support CCA. In all, it has provided $8,000 toward this vital program. Because no federal or state funds are available for CCA and it relies completely on community support, this generous grant is very important and much appreciated.

The Virginia W. Hill Foundation, managed by Wells Fargo, was established by the late Virginia Hill, a noted Denver philanthropist. Mrs. Hill was known in her lifetime for her charitable giving to better the lives of people living in the American West. She was, for example, a major donor in the early 1960's to the restoration of Ft. Laramie. In recent years, Mrs. Hill's Foundation has contributed significantly to improving the health—especially the mental health—of people living in the Denver Metropolitan area.

We are extremely grateful to The Virginia W. Hill Foundation’s continued support of young children and families in our community.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thank You Thursday!

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

Cash Donations

Associate ($500-$999)
Knights of Columbus -- Father Charles Forsythe Council –Boulder #14877 – for Dayspring

Friend ($1-$249)
Bob and Allie Richardson – for Labor Source
MGM & United Artists Services Company – Residuals from Billy Montgomery’s performance in Rain Man

In-Kind Gifts

In-Kind Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Colorado Doorways, Inc.  – Computers, battery backups, and monitors

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Congratulations, Linda!

Congratulations to Linda Cain, owner of Cain Travel Group, for her election to the 2013 Class of the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame.

Cain Travel Group has been a longtime supporter of Imagine!, and all of us at Imagine! are delighted with this recognition of one of our favorite friends!



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Thanks To The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County


We’d like to express our sincere gratitude to The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County for its recent grant of $2,000 to go toward Family Support Grants for families living in Boulder County.

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, medical and dental senses, transportation, assistive technology, home modifications, and parent and sibling support.

Anyone who has a family member with a developmental disability knows how difficult it can be to pay for some of these expenses, and these grants can make a huge difference. As one family told us: “This grant will help ease the financial stress and burden that comes with having a special needs child. It helps offset costs that insurance does not cover. Each year it seems that insurance covers less to help our child function in the world. We have dealt with that by cutting down on therapies, respite and recreation activities. This grant helps us keep some of those things in place.”

The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County has been generously supporting Imagine! programs for quite some time. In fact, the total amount of donations it has provided to Imagine! over the years is $63,147! Wow, that is fantastic, and we are most appreciative!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Thank You Thursday!

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

Cash Donations

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Virginia W. Hill Foundation at Wells Fargo – Grant for $5,000 for Imagine!’s Dayspring department's Community Calendar Activities

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Motorola Solutions Foundation – Match to donation by Mark Zentner to equal a Gold Sponsorship of the Imagine! Celebration
Safeway FoundationGrant of $4,732 for Labor Source Supported Employment

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Knights of Columbus – Longmont Chapter #1313 – for Dayspring
Sargent Bickham Lagudis LLC – Table at the Imagine! Celebration

Associate ($500-$999)
Santa’s House Project – Proceeds from Christmas Open House – for Dayspring

Friend ($1-$249)
GE Foundation – Match to contribution by Al LeBlang
Daniel & Sandra Stevens
Vectra Bank – Donation in support of the Imagine! Celebration

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Imagine! Celebration: Another Success!

This year’s Imagine! Celebration had a new reason to celebrate, as 2013 is Imagine!’s 50th year of operation. The milestone was honored with 50th anniversary balloons, signs, flowers, notepads, and a brief history given by Imagine! Foundation president Sandy Bracken of just how far services for people with developmental disabilities have come during those 50 years.

Imagine! Foundation Board President Sandy Bracken (left) and
past Board President Leona Stoecker at the Annual Imagine! Celebration,
which honored Imagine!’s 50th Anniversary.

Bracken noted that when Imagine! was begun by a group of parents in 1963, the standard advice from doctors was to institutionalize any child born with a developmental disability. But this group of parents wanted to keep their children at home and create a life of meaning and fulfillment for them. Thus Imagine! was created, but many challenges still loomed. For example, Bracken noted that even though the 1960s Civil Rights Act increased equal rights pertaining to race and gender, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the Individual’s with Disabilities Education Act declared students with disabilities as also having inalienable civil rights to a public education. Today, after many years of continued effort, Imagine! takes pride in its ability to help the 2,850 individuals whom it serves each year to have quality lives and to be an integral part of a thriving community.

Though the history was sobering and gave context and meaning to the event, the evening at the Plaza Conference Center in Longmont was also festive! A total of $230,000 was raised to support Imagine! programs and services. Generous restaurants, hotels, businesses, and individuals donated 215 auction items. The silent auction item that proved most popular was a coin proof set from 1975 that sold for 367% of its value! In the live auction, conducted by auctioneer Gary Corbett, a Jax Fish House Chef’s Table Dinner sold for five times its value, and former Foundation president Leona Stoecker’s “Year of Home-Baked Bread” sold for 11 times its value!

The latest technology, which Imagine! is known for, also played a role. Last year, for the first time, guests were able to bid on silent auction items using their smartphones, and smartphone bidding accounted for 11% of the bids. This year, nearly one-fourth of all bids placed were placed on smartphones.

Emcee George Karakehian, an Imagine! Foundation emeritus member, spoke of the $5.3 million raised by the Imagine! Foundation to date and introduced a video produced by Imagine! employees Alex Andrews and Fred Hobbs. The video shared the stories of two individuals Imagine! has served – Joe Hansen, who works at Safeway and is a member of the Imagine! Board of Directors, and Chris Miller, who has gained a sense of belonging from Imagine!’s Out & About summer camp and after school programs.

Imagine! CEO Mark Emery (left) poses with Margie Shaw and her son,
Chris Miller. Margie and Chris were featured in a video, which
debuted at the Celebration, about Imagine!’s services.

Parents Cindy and Dwight Newell were kind enough to share the personal story of their daughter Lindsey, who has received many services from Imagine! during her 22 years. The Newells expressed particular appreciation for Imagine! staff members who provided care and help for Lindsey above and beyond what might be expected as she went through a difficult crisis and who truly made it possible for Lindsey to continue to live at home. The Newells courageously and eloquently reminded everyone in the room of why they were there, which provided a fitting ending to an important evening for those we serve.

Special thanks to the Imagine! Celebration Committee and to our event sponsors for their significant contribution to the event’s success.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Thank You, Louisville

Today, we’d like to thank the City of Louisville, CO for their grant of $400 toward a Family Support Grant for a Louisville family.

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, medical and dental senses, transportation, assistive technology, home modifications, and parent and sibling support. Anyone who has a family member with a developmental disability knows how difficult it can be to pay for some of these expenses, and these grants can make a huge difference.

As one family told us: “This grant will help ease the financial stress and burden that comes with having a special needs child. It helps offset costs that insurance does not cover. Each year it seems that insurance covers less to help our child function in the world. We have dealt with that by cutting down on therapies, respite and recreation activities. This grant helps us keep some of those things in place.”

Thank you, Louisville, for your generous support of families in your community!

Monday, March 11, 2013

March Is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Twenty-five years ago, spurred by advocates across the nation, then-President Ronald Reagan declared March to be Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month urging “all Americans to join me in according to our fellow citizens with such disabilities both encouragement and the opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.”

In observance of DD Awareness Month, the Imagine! Foundation encourages everyone to celebrate the strengths and achievements of Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). After decades of progress, today people with I/DD are living and working in the community, pursuing higher education, growing their faith, making their voices heard, and even taking a lead in using technology to find more independence.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Thank You, Safeway Employees!



Yesterday, the Safeway Foundation presented a check to Imagine! for $4,732 to help support our mission. Pictured in the photo above, from left to right, are Kevin Wehrly, Vice President of Retail Operations for Safeway, Gary Stebick, Imagine! Communications Coordinator, and Heather Halpape, Public Affairs Manager for Safeway. The donation was one of 19 made by Safeway to various non-profit organizations from funds raised through payroll deduction donations by Safeway employees.

Thanks, Safeway employees, for your support of your community!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Congratulations, Bob!

Congratulations are in order for Bob Davis, who serves on Imagine!’s Board of Directors.

Bob, of Re/Max Alliance, is being honored tonight as a Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Champion award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the Lafayette chamber, special events, and area organizations that have benefited from his volunteerism. Those of us at Imagine! know first-hand about Bob’s commitment to his community. He has been an invaluable member of our Board.

The award presentation will take place tonight, March 7, at 8 p.m. at the Gatehouse in Lafayette. The cost is $35 per person and reservations are required. Go online to www.lafayettecolorado.com for more information.

Way to go, Bob!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Spread The Word To End The Word!

Today, March 6th, 2013, is National Spread the Word to End the Word Awareness Day. The day was created to bring about the end of the use of the R-word. The R-word hurts because it is exclusive. It's offensive. It's derogatory. For more information on National Spread the Word to End the Word Awareness Day, click here.

r-word.org

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Thanking The Collins Foundation

Today we’d like to send a great big “thank you” to The Collins Foundation for their recent $2,500 grant for the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome

This is The Collins Foundation’s fifth grant to our Boulder SmartHome, totaling $15,000. The Collins Foundation was established by William R. and Ruth Collins for distribution to charitable, religious, and educational purposes and organizations within the County of Boulder. The Collins Foundation is administered by the Private Client Services division of Wells Fargo Bank.

Thanks, Collins Foundation!