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!