Thursday, July 31, 2014

SmartHomes Update

Recently, Imagine! Foundation grant writer Christina Craigo prepared a report on the progress of Imagine!’s SmartHomes for one of the funders of the project, The Collins Foundation. The report is a great overview of how far the SmartHomes have come, as well as what’s coming next. We thought it would be worth sharing with our blog readers.

Brief overview of the progress of the project. 

The first goal of Imagine!’s SmartHomes Project (which includes both the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome and a second home – the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont) is to strengthen Imagine!’s capacity to meet the need for comprehensive care for local individuals with I/DD. Objectives related to this goal include: a) to increase the amount of appropriate and maintainable local housing for people with I/DD; and b) to identify fourteen individuals with I/DD who would benefit from living in a home equipped with adaptive and assistive technologies and move them to the SmartHomes.

These objectives were met. Construction of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome was completed in June 2009. Assistive technology systems were installed soon after, and in July, the SmartHome’s eight residents moved in and began to get accustomed to their new home. Since that time, Imagine! staff members have been refining the technologies to better meet the needs of the individual residents, training the residents to use the systems, and using the SmartHome as a site for testing, modifying, and adapting technologies and technology strategies for use in other environments. The residents of the SmartHome continue to flourish, as described below.

As mentioned previously, the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome sustained significant damage during the flood last September. We are pleased to report that the cost of repairs was covered with funding from a variety of sources including the ANCOR Foundation, Boulder County Worthy Cause, the Foothills Flood Relief Fund, and individuals. In other general news, Ingrid Winter, who has been bringing her therapy dog Raven to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome every week for the past two years, was selected as a 7Everyday Hero by Denver’s 7 News. Please visit http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/7everyday-hero/volunteer-takes-therapy-dog-to-people-in-group-homes-across-boulder-county to see Ingrid and Raven interact with SmartHome residents.

How many individuals and/or families have benefited from this investment? What have been the most significant results?

Eight vulnerable individuals and their families have benefited directly from this investment, and many others have benefited indirectly. The second goal of the SmartHomes Project is to create, test, and share innovative technologies and technology strategies to address the nationwide crisis in available services for people with I/DD and similar populations. The first objective relating to this goal is to maximize SmartHome residents’ self-sufficiency and ability to engage with the community. Imagine! continues to make progress toward this objective. Residents use their accessible Email system (Endeavor) and an accessible Facebook application developed recently by AbleLink to stay connected with family and friends. They have enjoyed learning to cook with the help of AbleLink’s task prompting system.

Imagine! staff members are working directly to adapt applications and tools to further residents’ self-sufficiency, including an interactive tool for adding and subtracting prices of ingredients for meals, a literacy game, a computer-based medication task minder, and a game for multiple players called “Pirate’s Cove.” This game teaches players (some of whom use AAC devices) to practice skills including taking turns, recognizing letters, and composing words. One resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome is now using an application called Interactive Ledger to gain more independence in money management. Staff members are also working with an engineer from Plexus to help create a prototype of a mobile sensor system that could set up a perimeter, or an “invisible wall,” that could send notifications to caregivers when the perimeter is breached. This could be especially useful for individuals who are prone to elopement or for individuals who aren’t able to use certain appliances (such as stoves or ovens) safely.

The second objective relating to this goal was to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of caregivers in the home. Again, Imagine! is continuing to make progress toward this goal. For example, Imagine! has begun providing training to Direct Service Professionals (DSPs) on how to encourage individuals receiving services to handle an increasing array of tasks on their own. Examples of lessons include “How to Reinforce Skill Development,” “Ways to Facilitate Task Independence,” and “Ways to Determine Needed Support Levels.” Video tutorials on teaching clients to care for themselves to the extent possible are being developed and will be accessible to DSPs via Imagine!’s online training system in 2015.

The third objective relating to this goal was to show through the SmartHomes how technology can increase energy efficiency and lower costs and carbon footprint. As reported previously, this objective has been achieved. The SmartHome’s solar PV system has been in operation for nearly 20,000 hours and has reduced the home’s CO2 emissions by an incredible 28 tons to date! Its geothermal system continues to reduce natural gas costs significantly.

The fourth objective relating to this goal was to move successful technologies and technology strategies into Imagine! residential care facilities, day programs, and family homes. Imagine! continues to make progress toward this objective. Examples of recent activities in this area include the completion of a new Assistive Technology Laboratory at CORE/Labor Source’s location in Longmont (equipped for clients who are non-verbal and have very limited mobility), the installation of an interactive multi-user computer station in Imagine!’s Manhattan Group Home to facilitate educational activities and communication with friends and family, and the provision of iPads to individuals in day programs and residential settings. Please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8OiK0cEWNo&feature=youtu.be to see the impact of technology on a client who moved to Imagine!’s 19th Street Group Home after nearly 50 years at the Wheat Ridge Regional Center.

The fifth objective relating to this goal was to share the current and future benefits of technology for comprehensive care and family home care. Since the SmartHome Project’s inception, Imagine! staff members have made presentations and/or served on panels at 54 conferences for providers of residential services to this and similar populations. Recent additions to this list include:
  • The Interagency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies (IAC) Technology Conference in New York – speakers; 
  • The 2013 Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities’ National Conference – speaker, with University of Colorado Professor Melinda Piket-May (“Building Community Through Collaboration”); 
  • Technology Best Practices Provider Meeting (in conjunction with the 2013 Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities’ National Conference) – hosts/facilitators; 
  • South Dakota Council on Developmental Disabilities Conference – keynote address (“Creating Possibilities: Where the Rubber Meets the Road”); and 
  • Alliance 2014 Summit – speaker (“Technology COPs – An arresting presentation on how three organizations from around the country are working together to improve services and supports”). 
In August, Imagine!’s Greg Wellems will serve as a panelist for a session entitled “Integrated Data Systems to Improve Quality” at Reinventing Quality, a biennial conference showcasing best practices in supports and services for people with disabilities. The conference is jointly hosted by the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota, the Human Services Research Institute, the University of Delaware National Leadership Consortium, the American Network of Community Options and Resources, and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

In related news, last April, SmartHomes Project Team members provided guidance to The Community Life Project, a local parent-organized group interested in developing a nonprofit housing cooperative for adults with autism, including those who aren't eligible for developmental disability services or who are on a waiting list, and those who receive services but need more support. Last November, Greg Wellems was quoted in an article in the Hartford Business Journal about changes in the healthcare industry and how technology can be used to help aging adults continue to live a high-quality, meaningful life in environments of their own choosing.

Over the years, Imagine! has given more than 170 tours of its SmartHomes and hosted more than 1,200 individuals from around the country as well as several international guests. Recent visitors (to the Charles Family SmartHome and/or the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder) included the Director of the Colorado Department of Human Services; the Director of Colorado’s Office of Community Access and Independence; representatives from the Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing and the Colorado Department of Developmental Disabilities; three State Senators and three State Representatives; the President of Thrive Communities; the Executive Director of TLC Learning Center (formerly the Tiny Tim Center); the Executive Director of Cheyenne Village; the President of the Human Technologies Corporation, the Mental Health Program Manager from North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, five students from Longmont High School; a group of nonprofit professionals from Cameroon, Hungary, Kenya, Oman, and Saudi Arabia; and representatives from East Carolina Behavioral Health, Extreme Sports Camp (which serves individuals with Autism Spectrum disorders), and I-Reach 2, Inc.

Imagine! has also expanded its collaborations with universities. Its work with the University of Colorado has continued and deepened, with engineering students producing a wide array of adaptive devices to benefit Imagine! clients, including SmartHome residents. Recent projects have included (for example) a Wheel-of-Fortune based game; interactive mazes, activity boards, puzzles, art boards, and games; a wheelchair arm stop; an accessible universal remote control device; and light panels, hanging lamps, and floor lamps. Some are geared toward helping clients improve fine motor skills, counting skills, literacy skills, or social skills; others solve particular problems, such as a client’s inability to move his arm back into his wheelchair if it fell outside the chair. CU PhD student Jeff Hoel is working closely with Imagine! clients in his research, which he describes as follows: “My research is basically in trying to find ways to make the Internet and the web easier to use for people with cognitive disabilities of all levels. And part of it is if we can look at that, we can find solutions that help a lot of other populations that we’re not necessarily focusing on – this is our universal design approach. So, for example, how are senior users or elderly users using the web, and what’s holding them back and how we can make that easier? …As we know, the web is being used more and more by everyone for more things, from getting news and shopping online to connecting with friends and making plans…So if we can help lower those barriers of entry to Internet use we can help people live more inclusive lives.” (A Daily Camera article about Hoel’s research can be found at http://bcove.me/fbmgkm5n.)

Recently, Imagine! launched a similar collaboration with students at the Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California Santa Cruz. Students are helping to create apps for Imagine! clients as part of their classwork. The applications must store data on individual users, building a baseline of knowledge and tracking progress with a range of skills such as color and shape identification and basic financial literacy. Last fall, Imagine! also partnered with University of Wyoming students, who created devices including modular, adjustable tables for wheelchair users and a robot arm and wrist support for people who use wheelchairs as well as AAC devices.

Thank You Thursday!

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

Friend ($1-$249)
Bob & Judy Charles -- Donation for a plaque for the Charles Family SmartHome in honor of a resident who recently passed away

As always, we thank all of our generous donors

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Patti Micklin at pmicklin@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

Today’s Wish List items:
  • New dining room set that will serve eight for the Foothills Group Home in Boulder 
  • Essential Tremor adaptive utensils, clothing, computer aids, writing devices, etc. for individuals with hand tremors at the Foothills Group Home in Boulder (http://essentialtremor.org/treatments/assistive-devices/
  • New carpet for two bedrooms at Garden Place in Longmont 
  • New barrier free lifts for moving individuals from wheelchair to bed or bath (being safer for clients and for staff) at the 19th Street Group Home in Boulder (we received a $200 donation towards these $3,000 units!) 
  • American Furniture Warehouse gift certificates for upgrades in furniture at Garden Place in Longmont, at and the Foothills Group Home and the Manhattan Group Home in Boulder 
  • Two camping lanterns for Out & About Catalog evening activities. 

Check out Imagine!'s entire Wish List here.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Wish Granted!

The Imagine! Foundation’s Wish List is an effort to increase opportunities for donations that will help Imagine! meet its mission. The Wish List includes items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs for the individuals we serve.

Today we’d like to thank Janet Martin for granting one of Imagine!’s wishes! Janet, who recently joined the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, provided funds for tickets so 15 participants in Imagine!’s Out & About Catalog could attend a Colorado Rockies baseball game.

Thanks, Janet, for your demonstrated commitment to local citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Wish Granted!

The Imagine! Foundation’s Wish List is an effort to increase opportunities for donations that will help Imagine! meet its mission. The Wish List includes items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs for the individuals we serve.

Today we’d like to thank Bob and Judy Charles for granting one of Imagine!’s wishes! These two generous and longtime supporters of Imagine! (Bob is one the founders of the Imagine! Foundation) recently donated some luggage for children entering a new foster care placement at Imagine!. You can see Bob pictured with the luggage below.

Thanks, Bob and Judy, for your demonstrated commitment to local citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Thank You Thursday!

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

Cash Donations

Associate ($500-$999)
City of Lafayette -- $600 Arts in the Community grant for Out & About’s After School program’s “Centre Stage for Kids Project”

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous (through United Way of Tri-County)
Kent Arnold
Dottie Laner
Douglas & Deborah Sandersen

In-Kind Donations

Supporter ($250-$499)
Bob & Judy Charles – Four pieces of luggage and two satchels for children going into foster care – item from the Wish List

Friend ($1-$249) 
Don & Karen Brown – Large box of games for Imagine!'s Next Step Group Home – item from the Wish List

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Susan LaHoda at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

Today’s Wish List items:
  • For Garden Place in Longmont: new computer game; make up/cosmetics (perfume, foundation - light beige), eye shadow (taupe, browns), mascara, lipstick (any color); special soaps; books (any type, but books about animals appreciated); country music CDs; latch hook kits; romance novels; Jigsaw puzzles; sports gear (especially NY Yankees); sport posters; small book shelves; used/new area rug – around 4’ X 3’.; several cushioned chairs for the “Book Nook” area
  • Backpacks, toys, and birthday presents for children with developmental disabilities in foster care 
  • iPads (many departments use these for clients ); heavy duty iPad covers 
  •  Rockies tickets (many groups asking) 
  •  A small garden shed for 19th Street Group Home in Boulder 
  • Arts and craft supplies for the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder
To see all of the items on Imagine!'s Wish List, click here.  

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Susan LaHoda: “Thanks To Each Of You”

Yesterday we posted some words of appreciation from key Imagine! leaders in honor of Susan LaHoda, who is retiring next week from her position as Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation. Today, we’d like to share some words from Susan herself, as she looks back on her incredibly successful tenure. 

Dear Friends,

It is a bittersweet moment. Retirement looks both relaxing and energizing—and definitely inviting. But leaving Imagine! and the people I have been honored to meet while Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation will be difficult.

I remember clearly where then Imagine! CEO John Taylor and I were – at the foot of the stairs in the Dixon building lobby in the spring of 2000 – when Bob Charles said something like, “I think we can make this work!” He was talking about the brand new, separate fundraising arm of Imagine! to be known eventually as the Imagine! Foundation. It was the “we” that was critical, because he was, in effect, saying that he would take on the lead volunteer role in establishing the Foundation. I continue to believe that without Bob Charles the Imagine! Foundation would not be where it is today.

What a privilege it has been to work with all of the Foundation board members over the years, including especially our Board Presidents: Bob Charles, Jack Stoakes, George Karakehian, John Mehaffy, Leona Stoecker, Sandy Bracken, and now Walt Pounds. What an amazing group of people! It is no small feat to take the time and energy to understand the complexity of Imagine! and to devote countless volunteer hours to telling the Imagine! story in our community and asking for support. But all of our Foundation board members over the years have done this with enthusiasm, dedication, and heart.

I am also grateful to our wonderful donors who have been so supportive and willing to invest in Imagine!’s mission. They have attended the Imagine! Celebration, made grants, written checks, responded to online crowdfunding appeals, donated property, made bequests, sent heartwarming notes, provided auction items and other in-kind gifts, and truly have made a difference in the lives of those we serve. My heartfelt thanks to all of our donors. It has been a pleasure to get to know you, and I applaud you for your generosity.

The staff of Imagine! is unique. I have been in the non-profit world for about 35 years, and I have never encountered a staff of the caliber of Imagine! employees. At least from my perspective, people are encouraged to voice their opinions, disagreements are respectful, humor is ever-present, people are accountable to themselves and each other, creativity is supported, and hard work is appreciated and recognized. Much of the credit for this climate goes to the two Imagine! CEOs I have served with, John Taylor and Mark Emery, who are both exceptional leaders. I am also particularly privileged to have worked closely with two of the best colleagues ever—Heather Sabo, the Foundation’s Resource Development Coordinator, and Christina Craigo, the Foundation’s grant writer.

And from those we serve, I have learned every day the true meaning of humanity. I marvel at my good fortune to be able to end my career here at Imagine!. Thanks to each of you for your support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and for creating the opportunity of a lifetime for me.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Wishing Susan A Fond Farewell

Susan LaHoda, who has been the Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation since its inception, is retiring on August 1, 2014. Under Susan’s tutelage, the Imagine! Foundation has raised more than $6,000,000 to date.

Mark Emery, Imagine!’s CEO, wrote, “My congratulations to Susan. I want you to know what an absolute pleasure it is has been working with her. She is one of the few people I know who can light up a room without ever casting a shadow. On behalf of all of us at Imagine!, we will be wishing her well every day to come.”

Bob Charles, the Founder of the Imagine! Foundation, said, “There’d be no Imagine! Foundation without Susan. It has been said that Reggie Jackson (Hall of Fame baseball player)was the straw that stirred the drink. Well, Susan is the cup, the drink, AND the straw. 

“One of the most brilliant moves John Taylor (former Imagine! CEO)made was hiring Susan. She was the right person at the right time. When the Foundation was starting, she coordinated all the meetings and had all the facts. I relied on her for everything. I can’t imagine what we’d have done without Susan. I did whatever she asked me to do. She’s the kind of person you would never want to disappoint or let down. When it comes to her job, she’s got her heart in it. She was the shepherd and I was one of the sheep in the flock. Some people of great value are referred to as another person’s right arm. Well, Susan is the right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, everything. She’s a copy machine and computer all rolled into one. 

“Whenever there’s an event, she always runs to the back of the room because she has never wanted any recognition or accolades, but she certainly deserves it.” 

To those who know Susan, it comes as no surprise that she has politely declined that there be a gathering to celebrate her 14 years of dedication and service to Imagine!. However, we encourage anyone who would like share with her some words of gratitude to send her an email at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or to mail a note to her at: Susan LaHoda, Imagine!, 1400 Dixon Avenue, Lafayette, CO 80026.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Wish Granted!

The Imagine! Foundation’s Wish List is an effort to increase opportunities for donations that will help Imagine! meet its mission. The Wish List includes items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs for the individuals we serve.

Today we’d like to thank Don and Karen Brown for granting one of Imagine!’s wishes! Don and Karen donated 15 board games, including Uno, Checkers, and Sorry to the Next Step Group Home in Broomfield. Don is a member of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, and we are so grateful for his and Karen’s continued commitment to local citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

If you’d like to check out the Imagine! Foundation’s Wish List to see how you can help, click here

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Thank You Thursday

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

Cash Donations

Friend ($1-$249)
Qualcomm Foundation -- $200 Grant in honor of Qualcomm employees’ participation in the QCares Experience in 2014 at Imagine!
Heather Sabo
Matthew, Amanda, and Jax Strassburg
In Honor of Camille & Kyle VanderVeen
  From Nathaniel & Rebekah Cardonsky

In-Kind Donations

Friend ($1-$249)
Evergreen Home Healthcare – Two packages of bed pads

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Susan LaHoda at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

Today’s Wish List items:

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A New Declaration

July seems like a good month to talk about declarations.

The particular declaration we’d like to talk about isn’t the Declaration of Independence, but it is a declaration that may well lead to more independence for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The declaration we are talking about is the Declaration on the Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access.

Imagine! CEO Mark Emery first wrote about this declaration on his blog back in October, 2013. The declaration is a statement of principles: the rights of ALL people to inclusion and choice in relation to technology and information access.

Since that time, Imagine! employees and associates have been evangelizing in many different ways about this important and game changing declaration. Many at Imagine! have endorsed the declaration individually, and Imagine! has endorsed it as an organization. Imagine! representatives have featured the declaration in presentations delivered across the nation, and have highlighted the declaration prominently on Imagine!'s website and through its many social media channels.

Imagine! has also worked to incorporate the declaration into its everyday activities, as well as into its own set of rights for the individuals served by the organization. Having the very tangible goal of technology access for the individuals served by Imagine! provides a foundation for a new way of thinking about and discussing services. It has helped the organization to think more creatively when considering how services are to be delivered in the future, and the declaration is turning into a self perpetuating force as it becomes more ingrained in Imagine!'s organizational culture.

The declaration continues to gain momentum outside of Imagine! as well. It has been endorsed by Alliance, Colorado’s statewide association of Community Centered Boards (CCBs) and Service Provider Organizations (SPOs). And this past March, the Colorado State Legislature became the first legislative body in the nation to endorse the declaration.

The forward movement toward a more universal acceptance of the principles outlined in the declaration is encouraging, but we still have a long way to go.

So, if you haven’t already, please endorse the declaration, either as an individual or on behalf of the organization you work for or support (or both). Let the world know that the community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the organizations and caregivers who serve them are united in the belief that all individuals have a right to access comprehensible information and usable communication technologies to promote self-determination and engage meaningfully in major aspects of life.
More importantly, no matter what your relationship to Imagine! is, make the effort personally to ensure the declaration is a living, breathing document by studying, implementing, testing, and refining technology options in services in whatever capacity you are able.

Together, we can create a world where this declaration won’t need to exist because the rights enumerated within will be held as self evident to all. Technology can, and will, break down many of the remaining barriers that have historically prevented individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from fully realizing their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

 Click on the image to see a larger version.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Thank You Thursday!

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

Cash Donations

Platinum ($10,000+)
AEC Trust -- $10,000 grant for Dayspring’s Community Calendar Activities program

Friend ($1-$249)
Jaclynn Spencer, DDS/Brighton Smiles, P.C.
Betty Demianew
Paul Guericio Realtor
Ken Hackbarth

In-Kind Donations

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Daily Camera – Business card sized ads, approximately one per week for the FY14 year

Friend ($1-$249)
Denver Boulder Couriers – Two courier trips
Jeff Kupfer, Ph.D. – Desk for Next Step Group Home

As always, we thank all of our generous donors

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Susan LaHoda at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

Today’s Wish List items:
  • Summer BBQ Items for Out & About’s Catalog Program. On Friday, July 11th, Out & About will be hosting a BBQ at Waneka Lake Park for 50+ participants, staff and other guests. Needed: Food & BBQ supplies (hotdogs, hamburgers, buns, bean salad, fruit salad, chips & dip, drinks, paper plates, napkins, bottled water, for approximately 65 people). Cost = $250. 
  • Games for the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder: Uno, Sorry, Trouble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Connect 4, Hi Ho Cherry O, Go Fish, Operation, Guess Who, Checkers, Matching Games, Puzzles of all levels of difficulty 
  • Garden supplies and plants for the 19th Street Group Home in Boulder 
  • Rockies tickets (many groups asking) 
  • Luggage for children with developmental disabilities entering a new foster care placement 
  • A new set of silverware and a new dish set for Garden Place in Longmont 
  • Non-fabric couch and chairs for Manhattan Apartments in Boulder

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

New Fiscal Year Brings Changes To Imagine! Foundation Board

The board of directors of the Imagine! Foundation re-elected Walt Pounds for his second year as President of the Foundation’s board of directors at the Annual Meeting on June 10, 2014. Charles Holmes was elected as Vice-President and re-elected as Treasurer. Beverly Shaw was elected Secretary. Three new members joined the board of directors for the 2015-2018 term. They are: Katie Hawkins, Director of Client & Recruitment Services at Talentrust; Priscilla Slocum Lacy, Communications Consultant; and Janet Martin, Retired from Communication Arts (now Stantec) and a Design Business Consultant. The Foundation board bid a fond farewell to retiring board members Alexander (Sandy) Bracken, James (Jay) Montgomery, Valorie Simpson, and Colene Van Winkle. Valorie completed one term on the board, and Sandy, Jay, and Colene each completed two terms, or six years. Our grateful thanks to these individuals for their excellent participation and support for those we serve.

Katie Hawkins
Priscilla Slocum Lacy
Janet Martin


Monday, July 7, 2014

Thank You, AEC Trust


Today we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to the AEC Trust, which recently provided the Imagine! Foundation with a $10,000 grant to help support Imagine!’s Dayspring department’s Community Calendar Activities program.

Dayspring’s Community Calendar Activities introduces families with young children who have developmental disabilities or delays to places in our community that offer great activities and opportunities for children to meet their goals through fun and play. All activities encourage motor, sensory, social-emotional, cognitive, and speech-language development.

Each location has activities that are age and developmentally appropriate. Activities are centered around play, because play is the primary vehicle for a child’s mental and physical growth. Play has a vital role in cognitive, speech-language, physical, emotional and social development.

Much of young children’s learning takes place when they direct their own play. Learning occurs as children touch, manipulate, experiment and talk about things, while interacting with people who facilitate without directing. During play, children are provided with sensory experiences and opportunities to move. Young children need to climb, run, jump and challenge themselves motorically. Children are natural explorers and instinctively touch, taste, hear, and observe the world around them.

The AEC Trust is a private foundation established in 1980 as a philanthropic, grantmaking organization. Funding has traditionally focused on arts and culture; education; environment; and health and human services.

Thank you, AEC Trust, for providing opportunities for young children with developmental disabilities and delays to engage with their communities in meaningful and valuable ways!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Thank You Thursday!

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

Cash Donations

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Micro Motion/Emerson Process Management – Gold Sponsorship of the 2014 Imagine! Celebration

Associate ($500-$999)
Young Americans Center for Financial Freedom

Supporter ($250-$499)
Greg Wellems

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous (2)
Talmadge Bodenheimer
Rick Brown
Helen Calvo
Oyuki Chavez
Carol Chesser
Anna Del Giudice
Sherry Edmond
Mark Emery
Erin Fleming
Susan Gabriel
Martha Heimbaugh
Fred Hobbs
Tom & Beth Huffman
Eva Klemens
Patrick Krause
Susan LaHoda
Jeffrey Lynch
Kathryn Lynoff
Colette Marie
MGM & United Artists Service Company – Residuals from Billy Montgomery’s performance in “Rain Man”
Rebecca Novinger
Heather Sabo
Mia Sanchez-O’Dell
Gail Scott
Caroline Siegfried
Chantelle Tweten
Jodi Walters
Carol Wier
Sterling Wind

In-Kind Donations

Friend ($1-$249)
Julie Faerman – Large box of high quality toys in excellent condition
Art & Marion Seder – Two sets of four Thai crewel embroidered napkins for Imagine! Celebration 2015
Marie Sonnen – A Beanie Baby with mismatched tags for Imagine! Celebration 2015

As always, we thank all of our generous donors

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Wish List Wednesday!

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Susan LaHoda at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

Today’s Wish List items:
  • Welcome bags for children with developmental disabilities entering a new foster care placement (blankets, PJs, stuffed animals, etc.) 
  •  iPads (Many departments use these for clients); heavy duty iPad covers 
  • A set of four kitchen chairs for the Garden Place Home in Longmont 
  • Arts and crafts baskets or gift certificates to Hobby Lobby/Michael’s for the Foothills Group Home in Boulder 
  • Holiday decorations for the new Next Step Group Home in Broomfield: a very large tree, a star or angel to put on top, many lights, boughs of holly, ornaments, statue types of decorations that can be placed on tables or mantles (no candles or candle holders), a wreath