The Imagine! Foundation's blog is designed to keep donors, consumers and their families, colleagues, and friends up to date on recent donations, grants we've received, programs we're involved in, and the people who make the Foundation work. We hope you will suggest topics you would like to see here. We look forward to hearing from you!
Imagine! consumer Scott Hill has been working at the Boulder Montessori School since April, 2009. Previously Scott worked at Pizza Hut for five years and Domino’s for five years. His job duties at Boulder Montessori School are to wash the dishes, run them through the sanitizing machine, and put them away. Scott also does other tasks such as emptying trash and cleaning off tables.
Scott is a very enthusiastic and hard worker, and is proud to work all five days of the work week. He almost always has a smile on his face at work, and you can tell that he enjoys what he’s doing.
The staff at Boulder Montessori consider Scott part of their “family”, and they appreciate his work ethic and friendly attitude. Karen Olson, the Director for Boulder Montessori School said, “Scott is such an integral part of our staff. He is very energetic and if he’s done with the dishes he will look for something else to do. Also, the students respond well to his friendliness.”
Karen stated that she is very pleased with the work that Employment Link’s Tim Eaton has done. She specifically mentioned Tim’s attentiveness, his ability to know Scott’s strengths and how to best support him at his job, and his communication skills.
This successful job placement is the result of Scott’s dedication to his job, the efforts of Tim Eaton and Pam Christensen in finding a good work environment for Scott, and the Boulder Montessori School for being willing to give Scott a chance to succeed.
Thanks to Pam Christensen and Tim Eaton for their help with this story.
William will miss his long hair that kept his neck warm, but finds it gratifying to know that someone who is going through hard times is going to receive the hair.
Imagine! consumer William grew out his hair for about 18 months for the purpose of having it cut and donating it to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under the age of 21 who experience long-term medical hair loss.
William learned about Locks of Love when a friend of his had cancer. When asked if he misses his hair, William replied, “Yes and no. Yes, because it kept my neck warm, and no because it bugged me at night when I was sleeping. Also, when the wind blew it would get in my face.” William added, “It was a gratifying experience, knowing that someone who is going through hard times is going to receive the hair. I'm going to wait until next summer, and then I plan on growing it out again.”
“Bill Pringle has touched my heart with his positive attitude and his overall zest for life,” Marie Handlin, Imagine! Host Home Program Coordinator, told us. “He always has a smile on his face and is eager to help others in need.”
Bill has lived in a host home with Sandy Allen since 2007, and has had quite a transformation since his move into that home. When Bill moved into the home, he was on oxygen, he was overweight and diabetic, and was on a long list of medications. In the past four years he has lost 181 pounds, and only takes a multivitamin, aspirin, and an eye drop as part of his medication regimen. His blood sugars have stabilized within normal limits for more than two years and he has not shown any signs of any diabetic symptoms.
Exercising and eating well-balanced, healthy meals are an important part of life for Bill and his housemates. Bill is proud of his weight loss and consistently chooses healthy meals and/or snacks over the junk food he so often used to pick. He leads a very active and social lifestyle. Bill participates in volleyball, bike rides, spinning class, dance class, bowling, and weight lifting. He walks at least 2.5 miles daily, including walking to the bus stop to get to work four days a week. For 16 years Bill has worked for Boulder Beer and he is well liked by his coworkers. Bill also completed his third Boulder Bolder in a row last year.
Last summer, the Boulder Daily Camera wrote an article about Boulder being the fittest city in the country. Bill and his two housemates were featured in the article displaying how persons with special needs are truly part of our healthy community, and how the local hiking trails and community activities offered here in Boulder County really do benefit everyone who chooses to use them. Bill is a great advocate and positive role model for educating our community on how persons with special needs should be valued as part of our greater health-conscious community.
Over the past year, Bill has started owning responsibility for his health and seems to have an empowered attitude toward his accomplishments. He is independently researching the local athletic center to see what classes they offer. His attitude and overall mood have improved greatly. He loves helping with yard work and enjoys keeping active at work, at home, and in the community. Bill’s dramatic shift in lifestyle choices has improved his overall health, and through his hard work, commitment, and a supportive home environment, this remarkable man has made himself into a great role model.
A couple of weeks ago, participants in Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source “On The Air” radio class appeared live on the “Colorado & Company” TV show (KUSA Channel 9 in Denver). If you missed the show, press the "play" arrow below to take a look:
The donor of this auction item was Highland Technical Staffing CEO Anahid Katchian. The item was valued at $1,500, but it sold TWICE at the Live Auction for $2,500 each. The first purchasers of the item were Gary and Sheila Horton from Western Disposal, who had the "Feast" at their home last Saturday, March 26.
Anahid (who was also one of the most generous donors on the evening of the Celebration) did all the shopping and preparing from scratch, creating an opulent and leisurely repast including a huge variety of both hot and cold small appetizers, a sumptuous main course, and variety of desserts.
Imagine! Foundation Board president Leona Stoecker volunteered to help prepare the meal, and had this to say about the experience:
Anahid had three different crews of volunteers helping at different times for three days. She took one day just to purchase the ingredients at a specialty store in southeast Denver. She is extremely organized with the menu and detailed instructions. Learning how to roll the grape leaves filled with lamb and beef, and roast the peppers over an open flame for the hummus under the expert guidance of Anahid was an amazing experience. We are so fortunate to have so many amazing people who are willing to put in their time and talents for the people Imagine! serves.
Anahid shared some photos with us from the event which you can see below.
Thanks to Gary and Shelia for purchasing the “Feast,” and to all the volunteers who helped make the meal so unique and special. Thanks also to Foundation Board member Walt Pounds and his wife Linda, who purchased the second “Feast.” Looks like you guys have a lot to look forward to!
Most of all, thanks to Anahid for her generous efforts on behalf of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens. We are so grateful for all you have done!
We mentioned last month that Dr. David Braddock, Ph.D., was recently named a 2011 recipient of the University of Colorado's Thomas Jefferson award, one of the university's highest honors. Dr. Braddock is Executive Director of CU's Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, and has been a longtime supporter of Imagine! and our SmartHomes project. Learn more about Dr. Braddock and this prestigious honor by clicking here.
During his acceptance speech, Dr. Braddock said some very nice things about Imagine!’s SmartHomes project. Take a look below:
Were Thomas Jefferson living today, I believe he would stand for equal protection under the law and basic fairness and opportunity for the 55 million people with disabilities living in our country. He would likely stand as well for the additional one billion persons with disabilities living as outcasts primarily in the developing nations of the world. In recent years, we have finally begun to make promising strides toward equality of opportunity for people with disabilities and their families in the United States and in the Western World generally. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, however, has been ratified by 98 countries, but it has yet to be ratified by the United States.
For enlightened disability policy and practice, we need look no farther than the local developmental disabilities service provider here in Boulder and Broomfield Counties known as Imagine!. Under John Taylor and Mark Emery's exceptional leadership, Imagine! recently opened the nation's first two SmartHomes for people with developmental disabilities right here in Boulder and Longmont. These homes were explicitly constructed to empower people with developmental disabilities through the application of advanced support technologies.
Thanks, Dr. Braddock, for the kind words and your dedicated support for some of our most vulnerable citizens!
Last week, the Discovery Science Channel featured Alonzo Clemons (who receives support services from Imagine!, that’s him in the picture to the right) on the show "Ingenious Minds." You can see clips from the show here. If you attended our recent Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction, you may have seen Alonzo demonstrate his artistic skills. Alonzo is a gifted sculptor. According to his website:
As a toddler, Clemons suffered a head injury in an accident; this changed the way he thinks, learns and communicates. While much was lost due to the injury, something miraculous also occurred. He began showing a fascination with modeling materials and a tremendous inner drive to make sculpture. Even in situations where he did not have access to modeling clay, his determination to make models of animals was so great that he found materials in his environment that he could use for sculpting.
For over twenty years he continued to practice his art in obscurity until the early 1980's, when the movie Rain Man, which featured Dustin Hoffman in the role of a disabled man with remarkable skills of memory, brought international media attention to a phenomenon known as the Savant Syndrome.
Savant Syndrome is a descriptive term applied to individuals who have both a developmental disability and a spectacular, genius-level skill in a specific area. Clemons is recognized as one of the world's prodigious savants.
A big part of Imagine!’s mission is providing opportunities for the individuals we serve to engage in their communities. To that end, some of the staff members at one of Imagine!’s group homes took a quick trip up north to Ft. Collins.
In the photos below (left to right in all photos): Lauren, Cari, and Stephanie having fun at the Swetsville Zoo; Stephanie and Kati pose near a colorful horse in Fort Collins; and Stephanie, Kati, and Cari check out the Budweiser Clydesdales at the Budweiser plant.
Exciting news! Free, guided tours of the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont are scheduled to begin in April.
The tours are available for anyone interested in seeing first hand how technology can be used to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities.
To respect our residents’ time and privacy, we have established a set schedule for tours. In March 2011, tours of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome (Boulder) tours will be conducted on the first and third Monday at 11:00 a.m. Beginning in April, tours of the Charles Family SmartHome (Longmont) will also be available.
Last week, Dick Bryant, with the Knights of Columbus Boulder Council 1183, presented a check for $1158.78 (from funds raised by the Knights' Tootsie Roll Drive) to Jane Sprague with Imagine!’s Dayspring department. The Boulder Knights have supported Imagine! for years and have donated a total of $11,534 to us.
Occasionally we like to share success stories from some of the people we serve at Imagine!. It is a great way to demonstrate the powerful impact supporting the Imagine! Foundation can have on some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens.
Today, enjoy this story about Tye McCarthy:
Tye McCarthy’s success goes far beyond his productivity at his job. Tye rolls silverware in napkins at Rock Bottom Restaurant as a member of a work crew with Labor Source, the vocational component of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department.
“Tye is interacting more frequently and with increased verbiage and clarity with his coworkers, staff members, and community members,” Marsha Robichaux, an Employment Specialist with Labor Source, told us. “He is not just more aware of others; he is looking out for them. He lets his coworkers know that he looks forward to seeing them, and that he likes working with them. Tye’s presence is noticeable, he is there and you know it. The great thing about that is if you’re not invisible to others, you’re not invisible to yourself. Tye’s success is far past encouraging.”
Tye’s parents, Dan and Nancy McCarthy, shared with us, “We have been very pleased with the progress that Tye has made with Labor Source. The staff has been excellent in helping Tye with his work and increasing his skills. They get the best out of him and he feels good about his job. He enjoys his co-workers and the staff is the best. Tye is always telling friends and anyone that he meets, that he rolls silverware at Rock Bottom and is very proud of it. Special thanks to Labor Source for doing such a good job and to Rock Bottom for providing the opportunity for employment.”
Tom Boller, an Employment Specialist with Labor Source, said, “Tye McCarthy has been working with crews in Labor Source for a couple of years. He tried several different jobs before settling into his job at Rock Bottom, and he is really growing into the job! The quality of his work is very good and his production on a daily basis continues to increase. Tye works three days each week, and his crew members see him as a valuable member of the team. They appreciate his greetings at the start of the day and his willingness to assist them in ways that show he is a real gentleman.
“Tye stays focused on his work and there are times when you might think that he isn't paying attention to anyone or anything around him,” Tom added. “Then, Tye responds to someone's humor with his infectious laughter and you know he is paying attention to his environment. He is simply committed to his work. Tye leaves the worksite saying to the restaurant staff, ‘See you tomorrow,’ which lets them and all know he enjoys and is committed to his job.”
Tye has recently added an afternoon of work at the Outback restaurant in Louisville where he also rolls silverware in napkins. The new site adds an extra fork to the roll and asks for a very high quality of work. Tye has stepped up to the challenge of meeting those high standards with a smile and ease.
On Friday, January 28, 415 people gathered at the Plaza Hotel Longmont for the 10th Annual Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction. The event was a resounding success, raising more than $217,000 to support Imagine!’s mission of providing supports and services to some of Boulder and Broomfield counties’ most vulnerable citizens.
The evening began with a silent auction featuring 221 items donated by generous local businesses and individuals.
Following a delicious dinner and the end of bidding on silent auction items, the program for the evening began. Emcee, Foundation board member, and longtime friend of Imagine! George Karakehian once again was the glue that held the program together, moving from highlight to highlight with ease and with great humor. And the highlights were many!
The program started off with a bang by honoring the 10th Anniversary of the Imagine! Foundation, Imagine!’s fundraising arm and the organization responsible for putting on the annual celebration. In its 10 years of existence, the Foundation has raised more than $4,000,000 to serve local individuals with developmental disabilities.
Check out this video marking the Imagine! Foundation’s 10 years of supporting Imagine!’s mission.
After honoring the Imagine! Foundation’s success, George introduced the crowd (the largest ever to attend the event) to Dawn Marie Candelaria-Bisgard, Imagine!’s 2010 Consumer of the Year. Dawn’s story is one of perseverance and hard work, as she struggled to overcome not only the barriers presented by her disability, but also barriers she placed upon herself through poor choices. In recent years she has really put forth a tremendous effort to turn her life around and become the outstanding young lady she is today. Now Dawn stands as a role model for all of those served at Imagine!, all of those who work at Imagine!, and indeed, the community at large.
The presentation of the Consumer of the Year is always the emotional high point of the annual festivities, and this year proved no exception. A standing ovation greeted Dawn after she gave her heartfelt acceptance speech upon receiving her award.
Enjoy this video about Imagine!’s 2010 Consumer of the Year, Dawn Marie Candelaria-Bisgard.
Once the program portion of the evening was completed, attendees took part in a spirited (and quite successful) live auction. Auctioneer Gary Corbett deftly enticed the crowd to bid higher and higher dollar amounts on 13 auction items including a trip to Greece, an elk hunt, a fly-fishing expedition, and an African photo safari.
Corbett also expertly led final event of the evening, a Special Appeal where funds were directed to Imagine!’s SmartHomes project.
Here’s a video about Imagine!’s SmartHomes, which ran before the Special Appeal began.
Many thanks to the generous community members who came out in huge numbers to support Imagine!, including current and former members of Imagine!’s Board of Directors, current and former members of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, business leaders, consumers, family members, and so many others interested in supporting the work of Imagine!.
Special thanks to the 20 Imagine! staff members who volunteered their time during the event, to the Imagine! Celebration Committee (see below) for all of their efforts before and during the event, and to all of the event sponsors who are listed here:
Imagine! Celebration Committee Colene Van Winkle, Chairperson
Paige Lawrence, Chairperson
Denice Chenault
Lisa Fiero
Deea Frisbie
Deb Gravelle
Evelyn Josephsohn
Cherlina King
Michelle O’Brien
Pat O’Brien
Stacey Pierson
Sara Stoecker
Don Sullivan
Dr. David Braddock, Ph.D., was recently named a 2011 recipient of the University of Colorado's Thomas Jefferson award, one of the university's highest honors. Dr. Braddock is Executive Director of CU's Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, and has been a longtime supporter of Imagine! and our SmartHomes project. Learn more about Dr. Braddock and this prestigious honor by clicking here.
That’s Dr. Braddock in the picture to the right, along with his wife Laura, at the recent Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction.
Congratulations Dr. Braddock, and thank you for all you do for individuals with developmental disabilities locally and across the nation!
One of the highlights of our recent Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction was the honoring of Dawn Marie Candaleria-Bisgard as Imagine!’s 2010 Consumer of the Year. Check out the video below to see why she was so deserving of this honor.
The Imagine! Foundation supports Imagine! through fundraising and education. In ten years, more than $4 million has been raised by the Foundation to provide extensive support for more than 2,600 people with developmental disabilities (and their families), primarily in Boulder and Broomfield Counties. Check out the video below celebrating those successes.
Thanks to our sponsors, more than 200 in-kind donors, and the generous support of the community for their support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families living in Boulder and Broomfield counties at our 10th Annual Celebration Dinner and Auction, held Friday, January 28, 2011.
We'll give you more details from the event soon, but for now, please take a look at our sponsors below.
The proceeds from the Special Appeal at Friday night’s Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction will go to support Imagine!’s SmartHomes. This unique project is providing the residents who live in Imagine!'s two SmartHomes opportunities to use technology to increase their independence and community interaction.
The SmartHomes are also serving as laboratories of sorts to test and refine technologies that can be used to keep other individuals with developmental disabilities in their own homes longer, and to provide staff efficiencies to other residential service providers.
Here’s a great example of that second SmartHome goal in action: Several residents of the Bob and Judy SmartHome are helping to test some task prompting systems that may assist individuals with developmental disabilities in gaining and keeping meaningful employment.
The residents have teamed with the engineering team at Assistive Technology Partners to test an innovative project funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) as part of the RERC-Workplace Accommodations Grant. This project is exploring the use of two different task prompting systems that could aid an individual with a disability in successfully performing assembly line tasks. Task prompting is similar to creating a check list to make sure the proper steps are being performed in the correct order for a given task.
The job that was chosen involves packaging Chocolate First Aid Kits. The first aid kits contain chocolate bars and bottles of chocolate candy. The kits are sold in gift shops throughout the United States.
The SmartHome residents are using two different types of prompting systems, so the researchers can compare the two systems and determine if one is more effective then the other. In both systems, there is a checklist or sequence of tasks that need to be preformed. In the first system, the individual must determine if the task has been performed and then hit a button to check it off the list and proceed to the next task. In the second system, a tool is developed to determine if the task has been performed. The tool utilizes sensors placed in the environment to know what has been completed. If the task has been completed, the next step is automatically presented.
The researchers hope to discover that the second system is more effective then one which relies on a human to hit a button to advance to the next step. The use of this information will be valuable in helping devise future projects for helping individuals with cognitive disabilities be successful in employment settings.
Thanks to Assistive Technology Partners for providing the information for this post, and for allowing SmartHome residents to take part in research that may have a powerful impact on their independence and quality of life.
The Imagine! Celebration, the annual fundraising event of the Imagine! Foundation, will honor the Foundation’s first decade and promises to be bigger and better than ever! In order to accommodate 400+ guests and approximately 200 auction items, the event will again be held at the newly renamed Plaza Hotel Longmont (formerly the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center). Some proceeds from the event will support Imagine!'s SmartHomes.
It’s not too late to put Friday, January 28, 2011 from 5:30-10:00 p.m. on your calendar! Special activities in celebration of the Foundation’s first ten years and its raising of $4,000,000 are planned.
Thanks to its popularity and proven results, electronic bidding will make its fourth appearance! The Imagine! Foundation was one of the first non-profits in the area to try electronic bidding three years ago, and it is now showing up at more and more events. It’s easy, fun, and allows guests to enter their bids on hand-held “tablets,” check periodically to see what items they are winning, and find “bargains,” all without having to leave their table or group.
As always, the announcement of the Consumer of the Year will be a highlight of the event.
The Imagine! Celebration Dinner and Auction is scheduled for Friday, January 28. Even if you can’t attend, you can participate in an online auction to support this ambitious project.
To do so, just click here. Once you go to the site, just enter a maximum amount for each item you wish to bid on. This bid will be incorporated into the Live Auction on the night of the event. The highest bidder acknowledged by the Auctioneer shall be the winning bidder. If you are the winning bidder and are not present at the event, you will be contacted within 24 hours of the close of the auction (approximately 9:00 p.m. on January 29, 2011). If you would like to secure and purchase the item today, you may acquire it for the Buy It Now price.
The items available for auction are pretty cool! There are trips galore from California to Greece, a Mediterranean feast and several other catered meals in your home, an elk hunt (see picture), fly-fishing expedition, sailing lessons, Disneyland tickets, an African safari, many restaurant certificates and hotel stays, and much, much more!
