Thank You Thursday!

Here’s this week’s roundup of donations to the Imagine! Foundation:

• A donation in memory of Margaret Wilson, the mother of one of Imagine!’s clients, from Kathleen Clark


• $4 from the IBM employee charitable contribution campaign


• An in-kind donation of one courier trip from Denver Boulder Couriers

• An in-kind donation from former Imagine! employee Michelle Wilson of a shower chair, rolling bedside table, walker with wheels and seat, bedrail, and a turntable to assist in getting in and out of a car

• An in-kind donation of beer, water, and ice (plus wine previously donated for the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event) from Liquor Mart for the Summer Board Get Together. The Summer Board Get Together was a delightful event where Imagine! Foundation Board Members had the opportunity to get to know one another better, NOT talk about fundraising, and eat delicious food from West End Tavern while watching the sun go down and the moon rise over the mountains.  Thanks to Foundation Board Member Jay Montgomery and his wife Kathy for hosting the event at their lovely home.

The Imagine! Foundation is very grateful to all of our generous donors. Thanks so much!

Photos From 29th Street Concert Series Benefiting Imagine!

On Saturday, August 13, Imagine! was the featured nonprofit at the 29th St. Mall Live Concert Series in Boulder. Imagine! had an information booth, received 10% of alcohol proceeds from 29th St. Mall, and that amount was matched by Boulder Creek Events. A representative from Imagine! also got to speak to the crowd about Imagine!"s services, and most importantly, the people we serve, during the band break.

A large crowd attended the event

Chase N The Dream was the band - and they rocked the house!

Dancing in the streets

Imagine! Foundation Executive Director Susan LaHoda (right) was on hand to share information about Imagine!

Thank You, Safeway Foundation!

Lindsey Carpenter (left), Safeway's Denver Division Public Affairs Manager, presented Imagine! with a check for $10,000 at the Imagine! board of directors meeting on Tuesday, August 30. Joe Hansen (right), an employee of Safeway and a member of Imagine!'s Board of Directors, had written a letter of support to accompany the Imagine! Foundation's original grant application. Imagine! CEO Mark Emery is in the center.

Thank you so much to the Safeway Foundation for its generous support of Imagine!’s mission.

Thank You Thursday!

Welcome to Thank You Thursday! This week’s roundup of generous donations made to the Imagine! Foundation include:

• $1,840 from Motorola Solutions Foundation. This represented matching gifts for contributions made by Imagine! board member Mark Zentner and Mary Dichtl at the Imagine! Celebration in January, as well as monetary support for Mark’s volunteer hours of service to Imagine! during 2009.

• Additional donations in memory of Margaret Wilson, the mother of one of Imagine!’s clients, from:

1. Gary & Crystal Daum (Longmont)
2. Thomas & Debra Hutchinson (Longmont)
3. Jeffrey & Dana Stobbe (Nevada)
4. Catherine Trujillo (Longmont)

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Mary Williams Fine Arts Event Photos

The July Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event was a great success. In all, $4,480 was raised to further Imagine!'s mission.

Thanks so much to Mary Williams for this generous support!

Please enjoy some pictures from the event below.


Imagine! Foundation Board Member David Edwards.




Imagine! Foundation Board Member Colene Van Winkle and her husband Don.



A perfect spot to inspire an artist!

Imagine! staff member Julie Hartman and Imagine! client/sculptor Alonzo Clemons.



Imagine! Foundation Board Memeber Lloyd Streit and his wife Julie.



Mary Williams

Great view, great art!

An artist hard at work.

L-R: Rich Tocher (Julie's husband), Imagine! Foundation Board Members Leona Stoecker and Julie Vlier.

Imagine! Foundation Board Member Rick Nelson and his wife Jackie.

Thank You Thursday

Here is a roundup of donations made to the Imagine! Foundation in the past week:

• A gift of $2,775 from Mary Williams Fine Arts representing 20% of the proceeds from art sales at the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event. The sale of chances on the two antique reproduction posters Mary donated for the event brought in $765, and donations made directly to Imagine! from the invitation mailing brought in $940. Therefore, the total benefit to Imagine! from the Quick Draw event was $4,480. Thanks so much to Mary Williams for this generous support!


We would also like to acknowledge those friends of the Foundation who provided in-kind gifts for the Quick Draw event:


• West End Tavern (part of former Imagine! Foundation Board member and longtime Imagine! supporter Dave Query’s Big Red F Restaurant Group) for donating all of the food

• Liquor Mart for arranging the donation of seven cases of wine

• Republic National Distributing Company's Bacchus Wine Division for donating the wine

• Left Hand Brewing Company for donating ten cases of beer

• Sturtz and Copeland for donating all of the flower arrangements

• Kristi Bartleson Stahli for reducing her fee as the harpist for the event

• Morrell Printing Solutions for discounts on the printing of the invitation

• Instant Imprints for printing the Save-the-Date card

Other donations this week included:

• A donation from Bob and Judy Charles to fully cover the remaining harpist’s fee for Quick Draw

• Donations in memory of Margaret Wilson, the mother of one of Imagine!’s clients, from:
1. John and Linda Gathman
2. Helen Hanna and Mary Hanna
3. Herminone Clair Montrowe and her family

• A donation from Imagine! Foundation emeritus board member Kathy Coyne

• A donation from Tom Pretto and Linda Doyle at the 29th Street Live Summer Concert Series event

• $10 in anonymous donations at the 29th Street Live Summer Concert Series event

• $4 from IBM employee payroll deduction

As always, we offer our most sincere thanks to all of Imagine!’s generous supporters.

Congratulations, CivilArts

Congratulations are in order for our good friends at CivilArts, recipients of a Community Appreciation Award from the Longmont Area Economic Council because of their contributions to Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. In the photo below, Frank and Deb Drexel, owners of CivilArts, show off their award.

Preparation The Key To Success At Imagine!

There’s a saying among those who work in the field of serving those with developmental disabilities: “If you have met one person with a developmental disability, you have met one person with a developmental disability.”

There is no one single way to serve all the individuals we serve at Imagine!. Every service needs to be flexible enough to meet a wide variety of needs, goals, and desires. Since there is no set template for how services are provided, the real key to success comes from always being prepared.

The story below, originally from Imagine!’s August employee newsletter, about one of Imagine!’s service departments, demonstrates the difference good preparation can make in the lives of some school aged children we serve.

Imagine!’s Out & About department prides itself on providing excellent therapeutic recreation activities to its participants. Therapeutic recreation involves making every opportunity a learning opportunity, so not only are participants encouraged to have fun during an activity, they may also be working on improving their social, communication, safety, or fine and gross motor skills.

At Out & About’s art classes, a large part of the success the participants experience is due to the preparation of staff members before the class. A great example of how to prepare for a class is provided by Alexa Schoeman, the facilitator for art with Out & About’s After School Program and Summer Camp. Alexa is pictured here with Quintin, who receives services from Out & About.

Colette Marie, the Director of Out & About, told us, “I think Alexa's passion for art, and specifically in teaching the kids in our program, is something worth recognizing her for.”

Alexa strives to celebrate what the kids do, and challenges them to develop their talents with new materials, techniques, and subjects. She sends frequent emails to other Out & About staff members so they can be prepared for the classes. Below are some excerpts from one of Alexa’s emails.

“This week we are going to be celebrating the Fourth of July, as well as ourselves and our families with a fun firework activity. The participants will either choose light colored paper and markers or crayons, or dark colored paper and pastels or chalk. Prompt them to first draw a picture of their family celebrating, then add fireworks with glue and glitter, and/or paint blown with straws or squirted from tiny spray bottles. The complete image will look like the participants and their families watching a fireworks display.


Families can look very different for different kiddos, so please let them guide you as to who they want to include in their pictures (pets, friends, grandparents). In that vein, fireworks can look different from person to person, so help demonstrate a firework pattern, but allow them to pour the glue or paint as independently as possible to create how they see a firework. I often notice the participants will say ‘I can’t, will you do it?’ If I walk them through a couple steps instead of jumping in to do it for them, they are able to complete the task independently!


Please encourage doing both the portrait part and the firework part, but if the participant just wants to focus on one part, that’s fine too. Also please be mindful of the glitter as it is super fun to play with, but it’s also expensive! A little bit goes a long way, and please try and shake the extra back into the containers.


Some great things to work on are discussing their subjects, their families, and what that means to them, scale (dad may or may not be drawn bigger than the dog, either is fine, it’s just something to notice), dexterity in use of materials (especially squeezing and drawing with glue), exploring the look of pastels or chalk on dark paper, and, as always, communication with peers in sharing of materials and works.”


Thank you Alexa for demonstrating such dedication to teaching and helping the art classes to be successful by being so well prepared and for helping your co-workers to be well prepared too.

Thank You Thursday

We are so thankful for all of our generous donors. Donations for the past week included:

• A donation from former Imagine! employee Matt Bristol designated for art supplies for Out & About’s After School Program this fall.

• $94 from employees at Océ North America’s Denver office from their “Jeans Day,” where once per month employees may wear jeans to work if they donate $2.00 or more to a local non-profit. Imagine! was the designee last December. The company will also match one-half the donation in the coming weeks.

• Donations from James Davis & Jane Cameron and from Frances Evans in response to the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event invitation.
• A donation from the Georgia Boys BBQ Inc. as part of the Tetra Tech fundraising event.

• A donation from Rob and Kitty DeKieffer in honor of Reinhardt and Joel Broszat’s 40th wedding anniversary.

• A donation from the IBM employee charitable contribution campaign.

In-kind donations included:

• Electronic equipment (servers, computers, monitors, etc.) valued at nearly $3,000 from Elevations Credit Union arranged last spring through former Foundation Board member Dennis Paul.

• Two courier trips from Denver Boulder Couriers.

•Clothing and toys for Dayspring families from Annie Arnette.

Happy 48th Anniversary, Imagine!

Imagine! was established August 6th, 1963, by a group of parents determined to see that their children with developmental disabilities had opportunities to participate in the community just like any other child.

Forty-eight years later, we continue to use that original goal as the basis for our mission. We believe in the potential of all. We believe that people with developmental disabilities have much to offer their communities, and that providing the tools and supports that allow the individuals we serve to become contributing citizens benefits us all.

Today, we say thanks to all who have been associated with Imagine! over the years – the clients, the families, the employees, the providers, and especially our generous supporters. What we do at Imagine! is a community endeavor, and we are fortunate to operate in such a welcoming community!

Want to see some examples of Imagine!’s positive impact on our local community? Then check out the variety of success stories on our website.

Thank You Thursday

Here’s the roundup of donations to Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation from the past week:

• A donation from the Pounds Family Foundation through The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County. Thanks so much to Imagine! Foundation Board Vice President Walt Pounds and his wife, Linda.

• $345 in cash from the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event “Buy A Chance on an Antique Reproduction Poster.”

• A donation from Anahid Katchian and Walter Logue in support of Imagine! at the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event. Anahid is the person who donated TWO Mediterranean dinners for the Imagine! Celebration this past January.

• Donations from Jayma Jamieson, Elizabeth Barker, Richard and Diane Vandermeer, and  Boulder Stained Glass Studios  in support of Imagine! at the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event.

• A donation from CivilArts given to Leona Stoecker by Frank and Debra Drexel, who were unable to attend the Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event.

• A check from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. representing four additional payments owed to the late Billy Montgomery (an Imagine! client who passed away in 2009 and was the brother of Foundation Board Secretary Jay Montgomery) for his role in “Rain Man” (whenever it airs, he receives a check). Jay recently designated that all future checks be sent directly to the Foundation. Thanks again, Jay!

Thanks as always to all of our generous donors!

Congratulations, Leona!

Leona Stoecker, past president of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors and one of the most tireless ambassadors for Imagine! and the people we serve, was recently recognized as an icon of Boulder County by the Boulder County Business Report in a special publication called “Milestones: Icons and History of the Boulder Valley.”

You can see the story below (click on the story to make it bigger).

Congratulations, Leona. We absolutely agree that you are an icon of Boulder County, and the contributions you have made to your community are invaluable!

Thank You Thursday

We missed last week’s update (and changed the title [and day] of this weekly post from “Wednesday Thanks” to “Thank You Thursday” – it rolls off the tongue much better, don’t you think?). So without any further delay, here’s the round-up of the donations we’ve received in the past two weeks:

• $10,000 from the Safeway Foundation

• $1,686.36 for a quarterly payment from those who designated Imagine! during the 2010 Combined Federal Campaign

• A check from the Screen Actors Guild representing several payments owed to the late Billy Montgomery (an Imagine! client who passed away in 2009, his brother is Imagine! Foundation board Jay Montgomery) for his role in the movie “Rain Man” (whenever it airs, he receives a check). Jay recently designated that all future checks be sent directly to the Foundation. Thanks so much, Jay.

• A check representing contributions through IBM payroll deduction

• A total of $405 from donations sent in by people who did not attend last Sunday’s Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event but who sent checks in support of Imagine!

As always, thanks to all of our generous supporters!

Thank You To Our Retiring Board Members, Outgoing President

Last month, we mentioned in this blog that the new fiscal year brought about some changes to the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors.

Today, we’d like to say thanks once again to two board members who retired from the board after each completing six exemplary years of service.

Dennis Paul



Dennis Paul was a great asset to the board, serving on various committees, generously supporting the Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction through personal table purchases, Elevations Credit Union table purchases, getting auction items, and providing for the very popular live auction “Rowdy Round-Up” cattle drive and Steamboat Springs auction item. Dennis also brought in sponsorships from Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center and tables from EKS&H and Roche Colorado Corporation. Many thanks, Dennis, for all you have done, and continue to do, for Imagine!.

 



Eric Wallace

Eric Wallace was another great asset to the board, and his liquid assets were especially popular! Eric’s Left Hand Brewing Company has provided beer for every Imagine! Celebration and every Foundation event since he’s been on the board. He has also been responsible in securing several Longmont auction items every year, hosting a mini-fundraiser at Left Hand Brewing last fall, and, most significantly, employing Imagine! clients as part of his packaging operation at Left Hand Brewing. Thanks Eric, for the profound impact you have had on Imagine! and the individuals we serve.



Leona Stoecker



Finally, we’d also like to thank Leona Stoecker for serving as Imagine! Foundation President for the past two years. Leona wasn’t just a figurehead, she lived and breathed the position! Leona has spoken to numerous service clubs and groups about Imagine! and has taken people on tours of the Charles Family SmartHome. She keeps the trunk of her car loaded with SmartHome packets, tri-fold informational business cards, Celebration invitations, etc. so that she is always ready to share information about Imagine!. Leona has offered her “Year of Home Baked Bread” for the Celebration’s live auction the last two years. Leona has done a myriad of things to put Imagine! on people’s minds in Longmont and has been an outstanding leader for the Foundation. She exemplifies to the highest degree what we mean by “passion” for Imagine!, and we cannot thank her enough.





Imagine! Volunteers Make A Big Difference

Imagine! is a community-based organization. We were founded by members of our community, we often provide services in the community (as opposed to segregated settings), and we are supported by the community.

That community support is clearly illustrated by the many people who volunteer to help Imagine! meet its mission to provide tools and supports for individuals with developmental and related disabilities so they may live fulfilling lives in their homes and communities.

Imagine! volunteers assist our organization in many ways. For example, in the fiscal year 2010-2011, Imagine! used volunteers for:

Enhancing Services

During FY2011, 44 volunteers spent 4,617 hours working directly with individuals Imagine! serves. Overall, 88 individuals served in these and other non-direct service roles for a total of 5,687 volunteer hours. That is a 19.8% increase in volunteer hours from the previous year!

Committees and Councils

Five volunteers serve on Imagine!’s Human Rights Committee, which safeguards the rights of individuals receiving services by reviewing all investigations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Twelve serve on the Family Support Council, which provides parent perspective to Imagine!’s leadership and outreach to other parents. Ten volunteers help to orchestrate the Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction, the Imagine! Foundation’s annual fundraising event.

Governance

Imagine! is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 13 individuals who serve terms of four years with one option to renew. The Board meets monthly and provides both oversight and direction to the organization, guiding its service delivery, financial management, and long-term planning. Four committees (Services, Finance, Executive, and Board Recruitment) meet on a regular basis to provide leadership in specific areas.

The Imagine! Foundation has its own Board of Directors, composed of 22 individuals who serve a term of three years with the option to renew for one term. Their tasks include leading local fundraising efforts and networking on behalf of the organization.

During FY2011, members of these two Boards contributed a total of 1,507 hours of their time to the organization. In addition, 100% of members of both Boards contribute financially to Imagine!.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers – they make a big difference in our ability to serve some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens.

If you are interested in volunteering for Imagine!, click here.

Imagine! and The Hungry Toad – Celebrating 20 Years Together

Since 1984, Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department has assisted people who have cognitive disabilities in finding gainful employment through supported employment services. Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities.

The benefits extend far beyond helping our clients, however. Businesses using our 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.

One business that embraced this mutually beneficial relationship early on was The Hungry Toad Pub and Restaurant in Boulder. This year marks the 20th anniversary of a CORE/Labor Source crew working there. Hungry Toad owner Terry Morton (pictured on the right with Imagine! consumer Tim Gray) has been a great advocate of our supported employment program and the people we serve.

When asked why he thinks the long term relationship has been so successful, Terry replied, “The crew is reliable and they do good work. That’s it in a nutshell.”

Thanks Terry and The Hungry Toad. We wish you continued success!

Wednesday Thanks!

Here’s this week’s roundup of donations in support of Imagine!’s mission:

•A donation from TRJ Financial, which was contributed as part of the April World Financial Group event to benefit Imagine!’s SmartHomes.

• A donation from David and Anne Hanson (customers of Mary Williams Fine Arts) who will not attending the July 24 Mary Williams Fine Arts Quick Draw event to support Imagine!, but still wanted to contribute.

• An in-kind gift of flower, vegetable, and fruit plants from The Flower Bin for CORE/Labor Source’s gardening class. Flower Bin also employes Imagine! clients. Thank them when you're there!

• An in-kind gift from John Haertling of HaertlingAwards.com for a more than 50% reduction on 15 board member plaques.

Thank you to all of our generous donors!

Mary Williams Fine Arts “Quick Draw” Event Supports Imagine!

Imagine! is delighted to have been chosen as the non-profit beneficiary of the upcoming Mary Williams Fine Arts “Quick Draw” event on July 24 on the grounds of a beautiful private estate in northwest Longmont.

During the afternoon approximately 40 of the Rocky Mountain Region’s most prominent painters will be challenged to create an original piece of artwork within a 90-minute period. At the end of the 90 minutes, the paintings will be auctioned off in a silent auction in an on-site gallery. Additional paintings from each of the artists will be available for purchase in the silent auction. Twenty percent of the sales of both the “Quick Draws” and the other artwork will go to Imagine!. In addition, Mary Williams Fine Arts will donate two framed reproduction “antique” posters, with all proceeds from the sales going to Imagine!.

Several community members have already stepped up to make donations to the event. Dave Query and the West End Tavern will donate all of the food and catering, Liquor Mart and Vine One will donate the wine, and Left Hand Brewing Company will donate the beer. Save-the-Date cards are being donated by Forrest Fleming at Instant Imprints in Longmont, and Sturtz and Copeland will provide flowers. Kristi Bartleson Stahli, a harpist from the University of Colorado School of Music, will complete the festivities. For more information, contact Mary Williams at 303-938-1588.

Want to get a sense of how cool this event this is? Check out the video below.



Many thanks to Mary Williams Fine Arts for their generous support of Imagine!’s mission.

Wednesday Thanks!

We started the new fiscal year off with a bang! Here’s a roundup of this week’s donations to the Imagine! Foundation:

Donations this week included:

• A grant of $2,000 from the Herbert Parker Trust at Wells Fargo for Dayspring’s Community Calendar Activities program (up from $1,000 last year!)

• $673 from the Tetra Tech Walk/Run to benefit Imagine! (thanks to Foundation Board member Julie Vlier for setting this up – check out this link for photos and more!)

• A payment from Mile High United Way (we received $68.63 total in FY 2011 from those who designated Imagine! through a United Way campaign at work.)

As always, thank you to all of our generous donors.

Thanks To Our Grant Donors

Imagine! is pleased to have received grants in FY 2011 of $10,000 or more from the Amgen Foundation, the Daniels Fund, the Safeway Foundation, the Western Digital Foundation, and several family foundations.

These grants have been used for our two SmartHomes, other 24-hour-care housing, Family Support Grants, general operating, a new Assistive Technology Lab, and Imagine!’s Out & About Summer Camp.

We are very grateful for the support of our generous community!

Tetra Tech Runs For Imagine!

Yesterday’s Tetra Tech Run for Imagine! was a resounding success! Here’s the report from Julie Vlier, an Imagine! Foundation Board member and the organizer of the event:

The weather was great for the Tetra Tech/Imagine! event yesterday. We were decked out, wearing some super T-shirts, too, thanks to Forrest (Fleming, Imagine! Foundation Board member) and Instant Imprints (see pictures below). All-in-all we received $673 in contributions!

After the event we convened at Left Hand Brewery and Eric (Wallace, Left Hand owner and former Foundation Board member) was kind enough to get us set up with cool beverages and a contribution to Imagine! for the drinks that were sold to our group! We also enjoyed Georgia Boys BBQ, and are planning on another $25 (+/-) from this new Longmont business.

Thanks to all involved, especially Julie for making it all happen. We really appreciate it!

Julie Vlier, Tetra Tech Manager of Water Resources, Imagine! Foundation board member, and the event organizer, is second from left.

Wednesday Thanks!

During the last full week of the fiscal year, we had several generous donations come in, including:

• Generous payments from Bob and Judy Charles and the Charles Family for Imagine!’s two SmartHomes.

• Jay and Kathy Montgomery’s check for the Billy Montgomery Community Room at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

• Micro Motion’s check for $5,000 for its Gold Sponsorship of the Celebration, which will be directed to the Charles Family SmartHome.

• The Boulder Central Optimist Club donated $200.

• The “Transcend $10,000” Imagine! employee donation program contributed $1,357.

• A gift from Foundation Emeritus board member Kathy Coyne.

As always, thanks so much to all of our generous donors!

New Fiscal Year Brings Changes To Foundation Board

The Imagine! Foundation elected four new officers at its Annual Meeting on June 14, 2011. Alexander (Sandy) Bracken was elected President, Walt Pounds was elected Vice President, Jay Montgomery was elected Secretary, and Lloyd Streit was elected Treasurer.


Alexander (Sandy) Bracken



Four new members joined the board of directors, bringing the total number of board members to 22. They are: Charles Holmes, Chris Leh, Rick Nelson, and Valorie Simpson. 



Dennis Paul and Eric Wallace retired from the board after each completing six years of service. Thanks to both for their dedicated service!



Committee Chairpersons for the 2011-2012 year are: Sandy Bracken, Strategic Planning/Nominating; Sue Deans, Marketing; Lloyd Streit, Finance; and Colene Van Winkle and Paige Lawrence, Imagine! Celebration.



Thanks, Tetra Tech!

The good folks at the Tetra Tech Longmont office are sponsoring a walk/run fundraising event for the Imagine! Foundation. The money raised will be directed towards the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. The event is next Wednesday, June 29th, at 4:00 PM. The race will begin on the St. Vrain Greenway and end at Left Hand Brewing Company!

Many thanks to Imagine! Foundation board member Julie Vlier for arranging this event, and to Imagine! Foundation board member Forrest Fleming and his company Instant Imprints for donating T-shirts.

Wednesday Thanks!

Today’s weekly roundup of checks we received this past week from our many generous supporters includes:

A donation from Jane Butcher in honor of Emeritus Foundation Board member Jack Stoakes. Jane’s first recorded gift to Imagine! was in 1991 -- long before the Foundation even existed.  Thanks so much, Jane!

A donation from Joe and Heather DiIorio, completing a three year pledge for the Billy Montgomery Room at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

A donation from Jane Mahoney.

We received in-kind gifts from Fabulous Finds Upscale Consignments and Robert Sarchet, with help from Leona Stoecker, resulting in a beautiful dining table for the Charles Family SmartHome. Read more about this great story in the SmartHomes blog.

We also received an in-kind gift of one courier trip for Imagine! (value $25.20) from Denver Boulder Couriers.  They give Imagine! approximately $150 in free courier trips each year.

Thanks to all our generous donors for their continued support of Imagine!’s mission.

Imagine! Success Story

Imagine!’s Innovations department is offering a new residential service option called the In Home Care Alternative. In this model, Innovations provides staff members for a consumer in the home of their family vs. requiring that a consumer move out of their home into a Staffed Site or Host Home. This model can be offered for both short term or long term commitments based on the individual needs of the consumer.

Read more about the model here.

We already have a success story to share with this new model. Please read the story below about Lindsey to find out more about this new approach to services.

Lindsey resides in our first successful In Home Care Alternative Home (or Family Model), and has grown tremendously since moving into this placement. 

When she first started in the Family Model, Lindsey struggled with trusting care providers and new people in her life, often isolating herself and fearing new experiences. The ability to be cared for in her home has given her the opportunity to interact with care providers and new people at her own comfort level and to feel safe in her environment. Since this move, she has slowly begun to trust care providers and allow new people in her space. She has improved in her socialization with community members and continues to find interest in new activities and adventures!

Improving cooking skills and socialization is important to Lindsey. Recently, a staff member from CORE/Labor Source reported; “Lindsey is amazing in cooking class. Today she helped me scoop the avocados and mix it all together. She served the guacamole to the other consumers and offered some to a member of the custodial crew. Lindsey is starting to make fun giggly jokes with us.” Another staff member said, “Today, I spent a few moments with Lindsey and she was funny, engaged, bringing up questions, and was conversational with staff members and just overall fun and smiley.”

Lindsey’s has made so much progress that her behavioral team is looking toward dismissing her needs in Imagine! Behavioral Health Services stating, “Lindsey has been making great strides in communicating her needs appropriately. Lindsey has also been able to use humor as a very useful tool in getting attention from her family and friends. It has been a pleasure working with Lindsey, her Innovations staff, her CORE/Labor Source staff, and her family. Lindsey’s success has truly been a team effort, with Lindsey at the helm.”

Lindsey’s success both at home and day program has been gradual. She has eased into a full five day schedule at CORE/Labor Source, including many classes such as yoga, art, music, and cooking, as well as some new interests such as science.

Lindsey has really shown me the value of patience and persistence, by overcoming her challenges at her own pace regardless of how quickly changes were made in her life. I have seen in her a great sense of humor and desire to help others since she has allowed me to get to know her.

Wednesday Thanks!

Today, we’d like to share with you some information on the generous donations to support our mission of serving those with developmental disabilities we’ve received in just the last week!

We received $1668.40 from Longmont Knights of Columbus. This money will be used for Dayspring's Community Calendar Activities Program.


We received a $1,000 grant from the Lynn and Helen Clark Fund at Guaranty Bank in Longmont. This money will be used to help support the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.


We received an $800 grant from Qualcomm. Even better, Qualcomm provided 22 volunteers who stained our gazebo and cleaned and mulched the beds around Imagine!'s two office buildings in Lafayette. The grant was used for mulch for the project.


We received $800 from an individual donor for Innovations' foster care program.


We received $100 in a matching grant from the GE Foundation. The match was for a donation made by a friend of a member of Imagine!’s Board of Directors.


And finally, we received $25 from an individual who was helped by an Imagine! employee, who dumpster-dived to retrieve her glasses. It is a great story, read more about it here.

Thanks to all of our generous donors! We are so fortunate to live in such a caring and giving community.

Imagine! On TV

On May 13, world renowned sculptor and Imagine! consumer Alonzo Clemons, his caregiver Nancy Mason, and Imagine!’s own Gary Stebick appeared live on the “Colorado & Company” TV show (KUSA Channel 9 in Denver).

If you missed the segment, not to worry! Check it out below. In the clip, Alonzo demonstrates his amazing skills, creating a horse sculpture in less than ten minutes. Also in the clip, Gary does a great job explaining the depth and breadth of the services Imagine! provides to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Vote IBHS!

Imagine!’s Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) department has been nominated for a prestigious Community Foundation of Boulder County NOVA Award.

From now through June 11, you can vote for IBHS online to honor their unique (and vital) collaborative partnership with Mental Health Partners to improve services to people with a dual diagnosis of having a developmental disability and mental illness.

Click here to vote!

Here’s a little more information on why IBHS is such a worthy candidate for this award, taken from the nomination:

Some of the individuals in Imagine!'s care have mental illness in addition to their developmental disabilities. Mental Health Partners (MHP, formerly the Mental Health Center of Boulder and Broomfield Counties) is responsible for the provision of mental health services to these individuals. However, individuals living with this dual diagnosis have needs that differ significantly from those of individuals with mental illness only -- specifically, needs for enhanced engagement, rapport building, and support in processing new information -- that were difficult for MHP to meet within its usual parameters of care. In 2005, Imagine! and MHP began developing a unique, collaborative partnership to improve the delivery of mental health services to local individuals with this dual diagnosis by enhancing communication and coordination among the client, his or her psychiatrist, mental health therapist, nurse, case manager, family members, and other significant sources of support. In 2006, Imagine!'s Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) division hired three clinical professionals with the necessary specialized skill set and launched IBHS Mental Health Supports. Through this program, clients receive routine care through Imagine!, and crisis care (e.g., hospitalizations or after-hours intervention), if necessary, through MHP. The two organizations engage in ongoing dialogue to ensure that the services are integrated to provide current best-practice supports to this group of clients.

The collaboration between Imagine! and MHP is the only one of its kind in Colorado and exemplifies innovative, "out of the box" thinking. Typically, services for these two populations are funded and delivered through highly segregated systems, but this collaboration integrates the dollars from both Medicaid and local sources and the services provided by both Imagine! and MHP and marshals additional community supports -- including family members and professional caregivers such as nurses and day habilitation program staff -- to provide comprehensive mental health services based on an understanding of the whole person.

Thanks to IBHS Mental Health Supports, more than 200 local individuals with this dual diagnosis currently receive expert mental health therapy without delay from a licensed professional with more than 15 years experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities. They receive timely psychiatric assessment and intervention from physicians with more than 25 years of experience and expertise in treating individuals with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injury/traumatic brain injury, and dementia. Each of these vulnerable members of the community benefits from enhanced communication between his or her psychiatrist, mental health therapist, and professional caregivers.

Congratulations to IBHS on being nominated for this honor, and don’t forget to vote!

Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont Open House

The Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont Open House was a great success. About 60 people attended. Local state representatives Claire Levy and Deb Gardner were there, along with benefactors Bob Charles III and Dale Charles. Thanks to Imagine! Foundation board members Leona Stoecker, Julie Vlier, and new board member Chris Leh for attending and bringing guests. And many thanks to the 16 staff members who made this event possible and also attended!

Sarah and Pramilla helped greet guests.

Loren played DJ for the event, using his computer to select songs.

New Foundation board member Chris Leh and Colorado State Representative Claire Levy.

Anthony showed off his computer skills to the guests.

Wes demonstrated his “Heads or Tails” game, which uses his computerized communication device to teach basic math skills.

SmartHome tech guru Alex Andrews demonstrated some of the home’s technology to Colorado State Representative Deb Gardner.

Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont benefactors Bob Charles III and Dale Charles.

Imagine! CEO Mark Emery enjoys a private chat with Sarah.

Support Imagine! While You Shop at iGive.com

If you shop online, you can also automatically raise money for Imagine!. iGive.com offers a free membership that allows you to shop as usual at many of your favorite online sites that will then donate a percentage of your purchase to Imagine!. iGive.com has 800+ stores to choose from including such familiar names as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Coldwater Creek, eBay, Eddie Bauer, Expedia, Kohl’s, Lands End, Nordstrom, Office Max, Petco, Sports Authority, and Staples.

When you are a member and you go to your favorite site, a small message box will drop down briefly to tell you what percentage of your purchase will go to Imagine!. It’s that easy! Imagine! has been receiving money from iGive.com since 2000 and has earned $1,063. However, this amount has been earned through just a handful of people. iGive.com suggests that the typical online shopper can generate $20-$40 per year for Imagine!.

We’d like to encourage everyone who shops online to consider joining iGive.com (remember – it’s free!) and designating Imagine! as the recipient of the online percentage. Each new member earns $5 for Imagine! right off the bat!

Click here to get started!

Imagine! Foster Parents Serve As Inspiration

Imagine!’s Innovations for Children Department has a Foster Care Program that is a therapeutic child placement agency that specializes in working with special needs children and at-risk youth with difficult behavioral and emotional challenges.

Today, we’d like to highlight one couple whose efforts to assist some of our most vulnerable citizens by acting as foster providers serve as an inspiration to all of us at the Imagine! Foundation.

Bill and Susan Long have been therapeutic foster providers for more than 20 years. They have served more than 40 children, providing the best care imaginable. They currently care for two children with developmental disabilities and are committed to helping them live to their potential until they turn 21. They provide a safe environment where the children know what to expect, and know what is expected of them.

Bill and Susan believe in a team approach, and make every effort possible to ensure that therapists, caseworkers, behavioral interventionists, and biological parents are all on the same page in regard to the child’s care and services. This allows each child to feel safe, and ensures a consistent environment and approach to their needs.

Bill and Susan work diligently with the biological family, supporting efforts to reunify when applicable. This includes sharing interventions that work, and ensuring that they are kept in the loop with school issues, mental health issues, and behavioral issues. Bill and Susan communicate extensively with the child’s school to ensure a common understanding of each child’s needs, and advocate for additional services as needed. They attend all school meetings and are the first to advocate for continued services and special accommodations.

When Bill and Susan are considering bringing other children into their home, the needs and the safety of the current children always come first. They are happy to help more children, but they are also cognizant of how essential it is to have a good fit. While Bill and Susan have been doing this for 20 years, they consistently seek new information and attend all of the trainings offered to them. They are open to the ideas of others, and seek out the opinion of the behaviorist and other staff members.

Bill and Susan are active with the kids, taking them on several family vacations a year, and providing the extended family experience through their many children and grandchildren. In fact, Bill and Susan enlisted all three of their biological children into being foster parents for children with high needs, setting an amazing example of dedication and caring for others. Their skill at advocacy has also heightened awareness for children with disabilities.

Bill and Susan currently serve two very challenging youth, both of whom have a developmental disability and a mental health diagnosis. They provide a calm and consistent approach as they deal with self-injurious behaviors, hours of tantrums, and aggressiveness on a daily basis. They love the kids, but they also see themselves as professionals and hold themselves to high expectations. They go out of their way to include the children in all activities that can help build their social skills and integrate them into the community. Most people would not volunteer to take these kids on a three week vacation in an RV, but they do! Every summer! And, the kids LOVE it.