Thank You Thursday!

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

Gold ($5000-$9,999)
McElwain Family Foundation

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Lou & Melodie Della Cava
PDC Pharmacy

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Chris & Barbara Clemens
EKS&H 
Jay & Kathy Montgomery

Associate ($500-$999)
Stan’s Automotive 
Melvyn & Noelle Branch
David James Williams

Supporter ($250-$499)
Colorado Gives Day FirstBank Incentive Fund

Friend ($1-$249)
Mark & Enid Ablowitz
Anonymous (2)
Linda Barr
Jan Baulsir
Terri Benjamin
Michael Bonino
Dale & Teresa Brooks
Max & Barbara Coppom
Kathy Coyne
Joan Davis
Joshua & Jennie Feiger
Brett & Bridgett Feauto
Doris Gray
Andy & Carol Johnson
Stuart & Lauren Kingsbery
Ed & Connie Lehman
Gary & Lou McClelland
Robert & Barbara Mohr
Tom Myers & Lois Purtell
Albert & Margaret Rael
Jon & Jan Rasmussen
Arthur & Maria Richmond
Jeffrey Schmidt
Sill Terhar Motors 
Richard & Pat Uhlir
Sim & Janis Walker
Marion & Carolyn Weygandt
David Wilson
Budd Zuckerman

Imagine! Celebration Silent Auction Items
Boulder’s Dinner Theatre – 2 tkts. -- $112
Cowgirl Skincare – Cosmetics -- $110
Denver Art Museum – 4 passes -- $52
Denver Center for the Performing Arts  – 2 tkts. -- $100
Dinner by the Dozen – 3 meals -- $80
Flatirons Golf Course – golf for two -- $96
Fox Hill Social Membership -- $1260
Jungle Quest – Gift Card -- $28
Longmont Symphony Orchestra – 4 tkts. -- $64
Lucile’s Creole Café – Gift Certificate
The Puddle Car Wash – 10 punch pass --$110
The Rib House -- 2 Gift Packs -- $29
St. Julien – Overnight & Sunday Brunch for 2 -- $399
Tortugas – Gift Certificate -- $25

Other In-Kind
Airborne Gymnastics -- Reduced rates for Dayspring Families -- $150
Jane Bodnar -- Holiday Gifts
B & C Bouncetown -- Reduced rates for Dayspring Families -- $150
Greg & Pam Felderman – Children’s Clothing $15
Gymboree – Reduced rates and space for Dayspring Families -- $1150
King Soopers Reclamation Dept – Holiday Gifts valued at approx. $1485
Lockheed Martin – Food Baskets & Holiday Gifts – valued at approx. $1,300
Sarah Looney – Holiday Gifts
Nativity of Our Lord Church -- Holiday Gifts – valued at approx. $3750
Nicole Newsom -- Holiday Gifts
Jim & Laural O’Dowd – Gently used toys -- $40
ReMax Alliance of Longmont – Holiday Gifts – valued at approx. $600
Seagate Technology – Holiday Gifts valued at approx. $150
Sunflower Farms -- Reduced rates for Dayspring Families -- $250
Krista Vagnieres – Holiday Gifts
Andrea Van Peursem – Holiday Gifts
WOW Children’s Museum -- Reduced rates for Dayspring Families -- $150

Others, including many Imagine! staff and Imagine! and Imagine! Foundation board members, contributed holiday gifts but didn’t leave names or values of the gifts. Many thanks to all those who helped to make this holiday a much more enjoyable one for needy Imagine! families.

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

Imagine! Clients Create Handmade Christmas Ornaments For Charity

Earlier this month, artist/consumers in Imagine! CORE/Labor Source art classes completed a fun project that provided a great community connection.

“It was a beautiful simple project where students cut up small pieces of tissue that were then glued on clear glass ornaments using watered down Elmer’s glue,” said Alethea Chorey, Art Instructor for the class. The end result? Lovely ornaments that looked like stained glass.

The fun didn’t end with creating the ornaments, however.

The ornaments were attached to several seasonal displays at Whole Foods Market, located at 2905 Pearl Street in Boulder. Whole Foods shoppers were able to purchase the ornaments for a five dollar donation to Community Food Share. Almost all of the ornaments were sold, and it proved to be a great opportunity for individuals served by Imagine! to give back to their community.

Congratulations to all involved in this project!

Pictured below are Bobbie and Lana, and Stephanie, all working on their ornaments, and some of the ornaments on display at Whole Foods.

Thank You Thursday!

This week's roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:


Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Avista Adventist Hospital    

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Guaranty Bank and Trust Company
Walmart 

Associate ($500-$999)
Anonymous
Michael Berman
Tom & Maryann Hesemann

Supporter ($250-$499)
David & Marlys Millhiser
Donald & Shirley Stanosheck in honor of four nieces

Friend ($1-$249)
BCL Architects, PC
Angelo and Ann Bindi
John & Ann Boettcher
Christina Craigo
John, Tina, and Micah Honea in honor of two families and one Imagine! staff person
Walter Kingsbery
Trudy Parsons
Lo Anne Zentner

Imagine! Celebration Live Auction Items
We are so excited to have some brand new live auction items this year:
Valorie Simpson/Colorado Business Bank - A Suite of 20 tickets at the Club Level for the Mar. 3 Colorado Avalanche vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game, including five VIP Parking passes -- $2500
Jay & Kathy Montgomery - A stay at an Ouray mountain home
Liquor Mart - A Craft Brewery Package including four different breweries with gift certificates, t-shirts, pint glasses, a tour, and more -- $500
We will be listing all of our live items on our website and on this blog the first week of January.

Imagine! Celebration Silent Auction Items
Barbara & Company -- $100 Gift Cert. and metallic leather handbag -- $198
Buffalo Lock and Key – Safe -- $100
Colorado Symphony Orchestra – 2 tkts. -- $110
Flatirons Golf Course – golf for 2 w/carts – $96
Fresh Produce Sportswear – 2 shirts, sweater, necklace -- $281
Eva Gaudio -- Beeriodic Table -- $450
Pedestrian Shops – 1 pr. Dansko clogs -- $125
The Regiment Shop – Gift Certificate -- $50

Other In-Kind
503 Café – Discount on food for Dayspring staff meeting - $100
Bob & Susan Gabriel – Holiday gifts -- $100
Julie Hartman – Bedding, dishes, dresser, TV, bookshelf -- $200
Liquor Mart  – 12 sets of holiday gifts for families -- $360
Matrix Leadership Workshops – Reduced rates for workshops -- $1000
John Nevins – Holiday gifts -- $95
Marianne Nick – Holiday gifts for all members of one needy Dayspring family -- $500
Roger & Terry Wittern – Holiday Gifts -- $95

Others, including many Imagine! staff and Imagine! and Imagine! Foundaation board members, contributed holiday gifts but didn’t leave names or values of the gifts. Many thanks to all those who helped to make this holiday a much more enjoyable one for needy Imagine! families.

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Order Your Celebration Tickets Online!

The 11th Annual Imagine! Celebration will be held on Friday, January 27, 2012, from 5:30-9:30 p.m., at the Plaza Hotel Conference Center in Longmont.

More than 200 silent and live auction items will be available, a new video will highlight Imagine!’s successes, and more than 400 people are expected to attend. Last year the event raised $217,000 for services and supports for Imagine!’s consumers, and the Imagine! Foundation board and Imagine! Celebration Committee’s goal for this year is $233,000.

Tickets are $95/each, with $65 being tax deductible. Tickets may be ordered online by clicking here, or you may send a check with names of attendees to:

Imagine!
ATTN: Susan LaHoda
1400 Dixon St.
Lafayette, CO
80026

Don’t miss this chance to help support some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens, and have a great time in the process!

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of donations to Imagine! is a big one, and includes generous individuals and businesses such as:

Platinum ($10,000+)
Boettcher Foundation – Grant for the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Daniel & Karissa Mackin

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
David & Susan LaHoda
Longmont United Hospital
Peter McNutt
Rajul & Amy Pandya
Daniel Parise

Associate ($500-$999)
Anonymous
R. David & Suzanne Hoover
Tom & Mary Martella
National Research Center, Inc. 
Jerry & Julia Rudy

Supporter ($250-$499)
Black Roofing 
Joel & Carolyn Buck-Gengler
Scott & Claudia Culley
James Joque & Elizabeth Zentner
John Lewis
Robert Pelz, Jr.
Julie Vlier

Friend ($1-$249)
Richard & Alma Alber
Linioel Aleskin
Anonymous (2)
Ann Arnette
Kent Arnold & Lu Walters
In Honor of the Mark Baker/Dr. Debbie Hamilton Family from Kenneth & Patricia Baker
Paul Bierbaum
Boulder Vision Center
Carl & Mema Brady
Gary Brenner
Kristin Brousseau
Buck & Nancy Buchanan
Buffalo Lock & Key 
Dale Charles
John Clarke
Tom Cobb & Mary Blue
Rogers Coke
Scott & Susanne Davis
Sue Deans
Donald & Martha Dick
Larry & Fran Dugan
Sherry Edmond
Lisa Estrada
Judith Forkner
David & Darlene Foy
Lehn & Johannah Franke
Rachel Gehr
Al & JoAnn Gray
Allison Gray
Jennifer Gustafson
Brian & Theresa Haley
Jill Hobson
Jerry Lewis
Patricia Lowe
Bob & Joan Luxner
Catherine Manka
Gerald & Patricia McNutt
David & Patti Micklin
In Honor of 10 Friends from Jim & Jeanne Mytton
Bryan & Molly Pieper
Jan Rasmussen
James Rhodes
Daren & Sara Roberts
Charles & Gay Rohrer
In Honor of Bill Sabin from Gerould & Martha Sabin
Garry Sanfacon
Bill & Helen Schmalhorst
Gail Scott
Caroline Siegfried
Mollie Stauss
Robert & Dorothea Steinke
Brenda Summers
Bill & Rosalie Vorlage
Jim & Terry Vratny
Gregory Wellems
Mark & Katie Wilcox
Sterling Wind
Roger & Terry Wittern
Bill & Renate Wood

Imagine! Celebration Auction Items
Buffalo Wild Wings Longmont – Three Wing Parties -- $102
Colorado Ballet -- 2 tickets to Peter Pan -- $160
The Core Pilates Studio – Intro Package -- $250
Crackpots – 4 sitting fees -- $32
Dick’s Sporting Goods – Gift Certificate -- $20
Dick’s Sporting Goods Bolder Boulder – 2 race certificates -- $92
Longmont Theatre Company – Two show vouchers -- $34
Pedestrian Shops – Pair of Dansko clogs -- $125
Pump House Brewery – Gift Certificate -- $25
Sun Rose Café – Gift Certificate -- $25
Super Mini-Walnut Café – Breakfast or Lunch for Two -- $25
Terroir New American Cuisine – Gift Certificate -- $40
Thomas J. Zyvoloski, DDS – 2 Sonicare toothbrushes (adult/child) and tooth & gums tonic -- $236
WOW Children’s Museum – 4 admissions - $32

Other In-Kind
278 Gifts for Imagine!’s Needy Clients Brought By Guests at Stephen Tebo’s Holiday Party -- Approx. $5,560
Great Frame Up Longmont – Discounted frame & mounting of newspaper articles -- $150
Essie Siegfried – 3 Build-a-Bears -- $30

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Colorado Gives Day Update

Last week, on December 6, the Imagine! Foundation participated in a state-wide fundraising event known as Colorado Gives Day. This was the second year Imagine! has been a part of this day to encourage philanthropy in Colorado. Imagine!’s total donations for this year’s Colorado Gives Day were $12,407 – a big step up from last year’s $4,675. A total of 56 individuals made gifts, including seven Imagine! staff members, two board members, and one former board member.

Overall, generous Coloradans donated $12 million through 52,000 donations on Colorado Gives Day. This is a 150 percent increase over last year.

Thanks to all who participated, and especially to the Community First Foundation and GivingFirst.org for leading the way on this day of giving!

Meet Imagine!'s 2011 Consumer of the Year

This past Friday night Imagine! hosted its annual employee holiday party. A highlight of the event was the introduction of Imagine!’s Consumer of the Year, Lindsey Newell. The video below was shown at the party to show why Lindsey was so deserving of the award. Enjoy!



Can’t see the video? Click here.

Thank You Thursday!

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

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
The Ball Foundation 
Colorado Business Bank 

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Dean Callan & Co. 
George Karakehian for City Council (leftover funds)
Hisco 

Supporter ($250-$499)
Warren & Caroline Baker
David Harwood & Ellen Marshall

Friend ($1-$249)
Paul & Carol Cardosi
Amir & Nikki Cohen
Randy Draper & Sally Watts
Andrea (AJ) Grant
Paula Guercio
Judith Halbert
Robert & Chris Hannagan
John Hoeffler
Pat & Alfred LeBlang
Eleanor Linke
Jim & Donna Lionberger
Tom Norton
Jim & Jeanne Mytton
Marjorie Rogers
Stein & Karen Sture
Daniel & Sandra Stevens
Sharon Svendsen

Imagine! Celebration Auction Items
Boulder Marriott Hotel – One weekend night stay -- $225
David Schlatter Photography – 1 Studio Session & 1 11 x 13 portrait -- $215
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburger – One Family Dinner -- $35
Great Harvest Longmont – Basket - $40
The Ice Rink at One Boulder Plaza – 4 entries & skate rental -- $36
Original Pancake House – 2 $25 Gift Certs. -- $50
Side Door Salon – Haircut -- $76
Smoker Friendly – Cigar Basket - $250

Other In-Kind
Denver Boulder Couriers – 1 trip

 As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Today Is Colorado Gives Day!

Today is Colorado Gives Day, and Imagine! is again participating. Donations made online through this blog or our website using any of the “Donate Here” buttons today will also be eligible for partial matching funds.

The “Donate Now” button (seen in the upper right hand corner on this blog) takes you directly to the Community First Foundation site and saves the 5.5% bank fee for credit card donations.

Last year individuals donated $4,675 to Imagine! on Colorado Gives Day, and we received $177.68 in matching funds from the Circle of Giving Incentive Fund. But $8.4 million was donated across Colorado last year, and $320,000 in incentive funds were given out, so we have room to grow!

If you are thinking about making a gift to Imagine! before the end of the calendar year, please consider doing it online today (you can also designate a particular Imagine! program in the “Any comments or special instructions” box if you would like). The only gifts that are ineligible are donations for which you receive something in return, such as tickets or sponsorships to our Imagine! Celebration.

Thank You Thursday!

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

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
FirstBank of Longmont 
Tom & Pat Metz

Associate ($500-$999)
Mary Aangeenbrug -- Donated at Zolo Grill Thanksgiving Event

Supporter ($250-$499)
Peter & Anne Carpenter
Anonymous Cash Donations at Zolo Grill Thanksgiving Event

Friend ($1-$249)
Margaret Berglund
Anthony Greco
Paul & Jan Hoskins
Edward & Elena Merchant
North Boulder Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation, LLC
Wade & Beth Payne
Robert Pred
Robert & Margaret Richardson
Robert Risch
Howard Rudnick & Jennifer Swezey
Steve & Darla Schueth
Larry & Thelma Whitaker

Imagine! Celebration Auction Items
Anonymous -- Lalique Crystal Buffalo -- $350
Anonymous – Two Jim Thompson Silk Scarves -- $100
Anonymous – United States 6-Coin Proof Set – 1975 -- $12
Art Cleaners – Gift Certificates -- $100
Ballet Nouveau Colorado – two tickets - $60
Children’s Museum of Denver – 4 passes -- $28
Comedy Works – 10 admit 2 passes - $320
Jane Dinsmore – Haircut -- $60
Hapa Sushi Grill - $50 gift card
Leonard’s Golf – 2 $50 gift certificates
Liquor Mart – Up to Five Wine-A-Months @ $100 ea. -- $500
The Lodge Casino Black Hawk – One night stay + $50 for meals -- $150
Maureen Moon – 2 90 minute massages -- $200
Old Chicago – Pizza for a Year + $50 in Gift Certificates -- $350
Omni Hotels & Resorts – 2 night stay any Omni – $550
Pirate’s Cove Family Aquatic Center – four passes - $37
Sugarbeet – Gift Certificate -- $40
Don Sullivan & Paige Lawrence – 7 days at Durango vacation home -- $2300

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

A Zolo Thanksgiving

Last week, Dave Query and the Big Red F Restaurant Group hosted a free Thanksgiving Dinner for Imagine! clients and their families at Zolo Southwestern Grill in Boulder.  This is te eighth year he has hosted this event.

The event was once again a huge success. 360 meals were served in three seatings -- turkey, dressing, all the trimmings, pumpkin pie. Donations to Imagine! at the event came to $816, and one generous person left a check for $500. What a great day!

Below are some pictures from the event. Thanks to Dave, Zolo staff, and all the volunteers for creating another special Thanksgiving for the people Imagine! serves.

Residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome enjoyed thier meal.

Dave Query with Imagine! Foundation Executive Director Susan LaHoda.

A happy Imagine! family enjoys their meal.



Longtime Imagine! supporters Peter and Arlene Heinz volunteered to help make the event a success.



Thank You Thursday

Today is Thanksgiving, so it just makes sense to share our weekly roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation, so we can give a hearty “thanks” to all of them for supporting Imagine!’s mission of providing opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities to live fulfilling lives of independence and quality in their homes and communities.

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
David & Laura Braddock
Mark Zentner (combined with Matching Gift from Motorola Foundation)

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Longmont Community Foundation (Giving Spark Award) - Courtesy of Leona Stoecker
Metro Taxi
Rose Community Foundation
Tetra Tech

Friend ($1-$249)
Whitney P. Blair, PC
IBM Payroll Deduction
Vicki O’Connor
Steven Turley
Wallaroo Hat Company
Lo Anne Zentner

Imagine! Celebration Auction Items
Barris Laser & Skin Care – Facial and Microdermabrasion -- $205
Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse – Gift Certificate -- $50
Colorado Chautauqua Association – Two concert tickets -- $50
eTown – Music and Gear Package - $102
The Golden Hotel – One night stay with breakfast for two -- $225
High Country Harley Davidson – 3 day rental -- $375
Iris Nails – Manicure and Pedicure - $35
The Little Jewel – Earrings
Murphy’s Wellness Center – One Hour massage - $70
Turley’s Restaurant Ten $30 Gift Certificates -- $300
Via Toscana – Gift Card -- $25

Imagine! Celebration 2012 Sponsorships

Gold Sponsorships
Ball Corporation 
Sandy & Sally Bracken
David & Laura Braddock
Colorado Business Bank 
Signature Offset
Mark Zentner/Motorola Foundation

Silver Sponsorships
Boulder Community Hospital 

Table Sponsorships
Sandy & Sally Bracken
Centennial Bank
Bob & Judy Charles
David Edwards
FirstBank of Longmont
Liquor Mart 
Longmont United Hospital 
Metro Taxi
Jay & Kathy Montgomery
Walt & Linda Pounds
Lloyd & Julie Streit
Tetra Tech 
Don & Colene Van Winkle

As always, we give thanks to all of our generous donors. 

Join The Imagine! Promise

Please consider joining the dozen individuals who have already put Imagine! into their wills and have let Imagine! know. These names are proudly displayed in the John M. Taylor Conference Center in Lafayette on The Imagine! Promise sculpture. For information or to let us know of your planned gift, please contact Susan LaHoda at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or 303-666-7018.

Thank You Thursday!

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

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Boulder Community Hospital

Associate ($500-$999)
Abigail Gosselin - Designated for Imagine!'s Dayspring department
Import Coachworks, Ltd.

Supporter ($250-$499)
American Family Insurance (Ella Washington)

Imagine! Celebration Auction Items
Alba Restaurant and Wine Bar – Gift Certificate - $50
Agave – Gift Certificate -- $50
Arugula – Gift Card -- $50
Mary Balzer -- Handwoven basket with handblown glass twist -- $100
Blue Mountain Arts -- 6 vouchers for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival - $228
Buddha Cafe – Gift Certificate  -- $50
Laurie Chrisman – Tennis Lessons – $80
Denver Broncos – Signed item of memorabilia - $50
RJ and Pauline Higgins – Estes Park Cabin - $450
Jeffrey K. Abrams Architect – Two one hour consults - $290
Jimmy & Drew’s – Gift Certificate -- $50
Mary Williams Fine Arts – Print - $195
The Mediterranean Restaurant – Gift Certificate -- $25
Murphy’s North – Gift Card -- $50
Restaurant 4580 – Gift Certificate - $50
The Sink Gourmet – Gift Certificate for Catered Event -- $500
Tangerine – Gift Card -- $50

Other In-Kind Items
Edmond & Maria Shapiro – Kids’ clothing – valued at $20

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Imagine!'s Supported Employment Services - Beneficial To All

Since 1984, CORE/Labor Source, a division of Imagine!, has assisted people who have developmental disabilities across Boulder and Broomfield counties in finding gainful employment through supported employment services. The CORE/Labor Source team is passionate about the importance of work and believes that a diverse workforce strengthens society.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. CORE/Labor Source clients work hard, pay taxes, and spend their well-earned money in the community.

The benefits extend far beyond helping Imagine!’s clients, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses, benefit from a diversified employee pool, and enhance their public image. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial to all.

Many businesses in Boulder and Broomfield counties have already discovered the benefits of using CORE/Labor Source work crews as part of their workforce, as demonstrated by the list below. If you own, operate, or work for a business that may also benefit from hiring CORE/Labor Source clients, please contact Tom Riley at 303-775-3244.

Companies and Organizations Using Imagine! Work Crews As Part of Their Workforce

Baha’i Faith Lafayette Center

Boulder Chophouse 

City of Boulder

City of Lafayette

Crooked Creek

Eco-Cycle
Freewave Technologies

G & S Mountain Recyclers
In Clover
Left Hand Brewing Companies 
Oskar Blues Brewery 
Outback Steakhouse – Louisville
Outback Steakhouse – Longmont
Rock Bottom - 144th & Orchard
Rock Bottom – Westminster
The Hungry Toad Bar & Bistro

Triad Technologies

Twisted Pine Brewery

Companies and Organizations Using Imagine! Clients Who Work Independently As Part of Their Workforce

Alfalfa's
Association for Community Living

Albertson’s 
Broomfield United Methodist Church

Hoshi Motors 

Imagine! 

Johnny Carinos

King Soopers

Left Hand Brewing Companies

Life Bridge Church 
McDonald's

Old Chicago

Vitamin Cottage

Waterloo

Whole Foods 

Thank You Thursday

Here’s this week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation.

Associate ($500-$999)
Jon & Karen Jones

Supporter ($250-$499)
Boulder Creek Events – $265 - Proceeds from 8/13 Twenty Ninth Street LIVE!
Egg Strategy, Inc.
Jim & Linda Karagas
Seal-It-Up

Friend ($1-$249)
Ken & Jan Alford
Mike & Julie Butler
Marty & Helen Goldman

Imagine! Celebration Auction Items
Animal Hospital -- Vet for a Day -- $100
Arvada Center for the Arts – 2 tickets to “Chess” - $11
Boulder Community Hospital – 2 heart scans - $498
Boulder Country Club -- A round of golf for four players -- $350
The Huckleberry – Tea for Two -- $35
Isle Casino Hotel -- one night stay and dinner for two -- $140
Q’s Restaurant -- gift certificate -- $50
Denver Museum of Nature & Science – Passes -- $48
Madcap Theater -- Tickets -- $72
Denver Zoo – family four pack -- $42
Longmont Dairy – gift certificate --$25
Little Monkey Bizness – open play party -- $149
Eldorado Pool -- 8 passes -- $64
Renaissance Hotel -- One night stay and breakfast for two -- $150
Balloon Ride – David and Roberta Levin -- $400
Rick Uhlir – four private golf lessons -- $150

Other In-Kind Items
Denver Boulder Couriers – 1 trip valued at $21
Pat Uhlir – baby toys and books valued at $30

As always, thank you to all of Imagine!’s generous donors.

Interest in Imagine!’s SmartHomes Continues to Grow

Imagine!’s two SmartHomes continue to garner national and even international attention. As the first two homes in the nation to use technology in a comprehensive way to enhance the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities, more and more organizations and thought leaders in the field are recognizing that Imagine!’s innovative and forward-thinking SmartHomes can serve as a model for the future of residential care.

Additionally, interested parties are learning how the various technologies, or SmartSupports, being tested and refined in Imagine!’s SmartHomes can offer solutions geared toward allowing individuals with disabilities to live independently, or with their families and loved ones, for longer periods of time.

For example, more than 500 visitors have taken a tour of either the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder or the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, and many have toured both homes. People taking the tour have come from all across the nation, and as far away as England, France, and Russia. No matter where the visitors are from, they all leave the tours impressed with how technology is improving the lives of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens. Learn more about the free tours, or sign up to take a tour yourself, by clicking here.

Taking a tour of Imagine!’s SmartHomes isn’t the only way people are learning about this unique and ambitious project, however. SmartHome staff members have been invited by organizations across the country, from Alaska to Washington D.C. (at the World Bank, no less), to present on SmartHomes and SmartSupports at a wide variety of conferences and events. To date, almost 40 presentations have been made by members of the SmartHome team. To learn more about SmartHome presentations, click here.

SmartHome team members have also begun providing consulting services to other organizations looking to incorporate technology into their services. In just the past three months, Imagine! has consulted on technology plans for organizations based in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

The desire of so many organizations to learn about this project serves as yet another reminder of how Imagine!'s SmartHomes continue to be recognized as an innovative approach to improving clients’ self-sufficiency and ability to engage with the community while optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of caregivers.

Colorado Gives Day Is December 6!

Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, December 6, and Imagine! will again be participating. Donations made online through this blog or our website on December 6 at any of the “Donate Here” buttons will also be eligible for partial matching funds. The “Donate Here” button (seen in the upper right hand corner on this blog) takes you directly to the Community First Foundation site and saves the 5.5% bank fee for credit card donations.

Last year individuals donated $4,675 to Imagine! on Colorado Gives Day, and we received $177.68 in matching funds from the Circle of Giving Incentive Fund. But $8.4 million was donated across Colorado last year, and $320,000 in incentive funds were given out, so we have room to grow!

If you are thinking about making a gift to Imagine! before the end of the calendar year, please consider doing it online through our website on December 6 (you can also designate a particular Imagine! program in the “Any comments or special instructions” box if you would like). The only gifts that are ineligible are donations for which you receive something in return, such as tickets or sponsorships to our Imagine! Celebration.

Mark your calendar for December 6!

Thank You, Governor Hickenlooper

Henry Sobanet, the Director of the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budget, recently released some of the key components of Governor John Hickenlooper’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13. The Governor’s new budget proposal requests resources for 173 people with developmental disabilities in emergency and high risk situations.

Imagine! knows more than 2,800 individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in Boulder and Broomfield counties, hundreds of whom are waiting for State funded services and supports. The financial and emotional challenges that these individuals and their families face twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week are tremendous. The proposed new resources will help provide a safety net, especially when a caregiver can no longer care for their loved one.

On behalf of Imagine!, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Governor Hickenlooper, Chief of Staff Roxanne White, Budget Director Sobanet, and their staff for their hard work on a difficult budget and for their demonstrated commitment to our state’s most vulnerable citizens.

A Thanksgiving Tradition

Dave Query

For the 8th year, Dave Query and the Big Red F Restaurant Group will host a free Thanksgiving Dinner for Imagine! clients and their families. Query is a former Imagine! Foundation board member and owner of Big Red F, which includes Boulder restaurants Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace, the Bitter Bar, Jax Fish House, West End Tavern, and Zolo Southwestern Grill, Denver restaurants Jax Fish House and LoLa Coastal Mexican, and the new Jax Fish House in Fort Collins. Query is donating the makings for a delicious Zolo-style Thanksgiving repast with all the trimmings, and the wait staff is volunteering its time. Three seatings are offered, allowing nearly 400 people to enjoy this lovely celebration of Thanksgiving.

Thanks, Dave, for all you do for your community!