Congratulations, Eric!

Congratulations are in order for Eric Wallace, President and Co-Founder of Left Hand Brewing Company, for his selection as a member of the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame, Class of 2012! 

Eric is a former member of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors. In addition to serving on the Foundation board, Eric has supported Imagine! by hosting a variety of fundraising events, and Left Hand has employed individuals served by Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department since 2006.

Way to go Eric! A well deserved honor, indeed!

Thank You Thursday!

Here’s a roundup of generous donations to the Imagine! Foundation from February 23 through March 23.

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Virginia W. Hill Foundation – Grant for Community Calendar Activities Program
Palmos Development Corporation – Imagine! Celebration Silver Sponsor
WD Foundation – Grant for Family Support Grants

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
David Edwards – Celebration Table Sponsor and Other Donation
Elevations Credit Union  – Celebration Table Sponsor
Dennis & Becky Fase – ½ Merrill Lynch Celebration Silver Sponsorship
Harry Goresline – for Imagine! Host Home Program
Littler Mendelson – Celebration Table Sponsor
Sadie Gift Fund/Community Foundation Serving Boulder County – Grant for General Operating
Rich Tocher & Julie Vlier
Tracy Family Foundation – Grant for General Operating

Associate ($500-$999)

Frank & Gina Day
Stephen Tebo

Supporter ($250-$499)
CBIZ Meyers Dining – Celebration Tickets
In Memory of Johnny Chetham
  From Joseph & Betty Brooks
  From Donald & Avis Davis
  From Gastroenterology of the Rockies
Lindsey Lehr
Joy Pak
In Memory of Guy Smith
  From Paul & Janet Hoskins
  From Thomas and Andrea Mann
 From Michael and Carlene Matthews
  From Kathleen O’Connor
Daniel & Sandra Stevens
Shari Tebo

Friend ($1-$249)
Albemarle Foundation – Matching Gift for Richard Sabalot
Albertsons LLC
In Honor of Polly Atkinson
  From Geri Combs
Nancy Antos, Boulder Women’s Guild
Connie Banta, Boulder Women’s Guild
Whitney Blair/Beth Leibo
Susanna Block, Boulder Women’s Guild
Kathy Coyne
Bert & Mardelle Crist
Linda Davidson, Boulder Women’s Guild
Linda Faul, Boulder Women’s Guild
Angela Forest, Boulder Women’s Guild
Bill Goodacre
Cameron & Erika Grant
Teresa Gray
Chuck & Sarah Miller
Andrea Mindell, Boulder Women’s Guild
Dennis & Debra Paul
Margot Planchard, Boulder Women’s Guild
Jim & Diane Reitz
Jeanne Ryan, Boulder Women’s Guild
Deborah Silberstein, Boulder Women’s Guild
Susan Soklin, Boulder Women’s Guild
In Memory of Roland Stendler
  From Lo Anne Zentner
Gail Sutton, Boulder Women’s Guild
United Way of Tri-County, Inc. 
Michele Williams, Boulder Women’s Guild
Romney Williams

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Associate ($500-$999)
Tetra Tech – 2 HP Laser Jet 5000 N printers

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Boulder Reservoir – Discount for boar rentals for Imagine!’s Out & About Summer Camp
Denver Boulder Couriers – Two courier trips
Kerry & Erin Foutz – Children’s clothing
Front Range Hippotherapy – Discount for regular sessions during Imagine!’s Out & About Summer Camp
Erika Leon – Children’s toys and high chair

As always, we thank all of our generous donors. 

Thank You, US Bancorp

Today, we’d like to thank US Bancorp for providing a $1,500 grant in early February to be directed to providing supported employment services to an individual served by Imagine!’s Labor Source department. According to the grant, the funds will “underwrite the identification of one low-income adult with developmental disabilities to whom services are otherwise not available, initiation of Division of Vocational Rehabilitation-funded job placement, and the provision of job coaching and support for one year.”

Supported employment services are vital to our community. They are also a great example of Imagine!’s mission in action. Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. They pay taxes and spend their hard earned money in the community.

In short, they contribute.

US Bancorp has supported labor Source with a grant in each of the last four years, providing a total of $6,500 in grants. Their contributions have made a huge difference in the lives of those we serve, as well as our community.

Thank you, US Bancorp!

Time To Get REAL

Imagine! has been nominated for a Boulder Magazine REAL Award in the non-profit category. Check out our nomination here.

CORE/Labor Source Consumers Volunteer at Community Food Share

Thanks to Carrie Keyes, who works for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, for sharing this information about some individuals served by Imagine! who contribute to their community through volunteering.

We have a great group on Friday mornings at Community Food Share, where our task is to fill one pound bags of beans, and package 25 bags into each crate. Despite performing the same tasks for over a year together, we continue to grow as a group. We enjoy having time to collaborate as an assembly line team, while socializing with each other and other community members. The whole group verbalizes excitement when we walk in the door and they see their favorite greeter, whom they all recognize by name. Each member of the volunteer crew is flexible in their tasks and tries different things each week. They are independent in setting up supplies and no one complains about working. It has been such a great experience for us all to increase job and social skills.

Pictured above are Scott, Kyle, Peter, and Corrina.

Keep Up With Imagine! Using Social Media

Are you interested in learning more about Imagine! and the work we do to provide individuals with developmental disabilities the tools and supports they need to become contributing members of their communities?

To help keep you informed with current information about what is going on at Imagine! and in the field of developmental disabilities, we encourage you to use the following simple online tools to keep you up-to-date, while also allowing you to become part of the conversation. The best way we have to keep you current on events or noteworthy happenings, especially between newsletters, is through Imagine!’s social media sites.

Whether you are new to social media or a longtime user, there is a platform out there for you. Below are some options for you to “get in the know” using social media.

Facebook pages:

Become a fan of the Imagine! Facebook page

Become a fan of the SmartHomes Facebook page

Become a fan of the Dayspring Facebook page

Become a fan of the Imagine! Behavioral Health Services Facebook page

Become a fan of the Labor Source Facebook page

Blogs:

Follow Imagine! CEO Mark Emery’s blog

Follow the SmartHomes blog

Twitter Pages:

Follow Imagine! on Twitter

Follow the SmartHomes on Twitter

And check out Imagine!'s YouTube Channel

Thank You Herbert Parker Foundation

A big shout-out today to the Herbert Parker Foundation for providing a $2,000 grant to Imagine!’s Dayspring Community Calendar Activities program.

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

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

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

The Herbert Parker Foundation has provided generous support to this programs for the past three years with grants totaling $5,000.

Thanks, Herbert Parker Foundation! Your support is much appreciated!

Thank You Rotary Club of Longmont St. Vrain

Today we’d like to say “thank you” to the Rotary Club of Longmont St. Vrain for their generous donation of $500 for the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Pledge To End The R-Word

Today (March 7) is Spread the Word to End the Word Day. Get the details below, and pledge your support to eliminate the demeaning use of the R-word.

WHAT

Spread the Word to End the Word is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics, Best Buddies and supporters to raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word.

The campaign, created by youth, is intended to engage schools organizations and communities to rally and pledge their support at http://www.r-word.org/ and to promote the inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

WHEN
The official annual day of awareness is held the first Wednesday of every March. While most activities are centered on or near that annual day in March, people everywhere can help spread the word throughout their communities and schools year-round thru pledge drives, youth rallies and online activation.

WHO

Spread the Word to End the Word was founded by college students Soeren Palumbo (Notre Dame 2011) and Tim Shriver (Yale 2011) in 2009, and continues to be led by passionate young people, Special Olympics athletes and Best Buddies participants across the United States and in many other parts of the world.

Celebrity activist John C. McGinley is a spokesperson for the campaign.

WHY

Respectful and inclusive language is essential to the movement for the dignity and humanity of people with intellectual disabilities.

HOW
Visit http://www.r-word.org/ to learn how you can Spread the Word to End the Word.

Imagine! Volunteer Spotlight

“The two days I volunteer at Imagine!

are my two favorite days of the week.”

Kevin Breslin began volunteering at Imagine! in October 2011. He was inspired to volunteer after having a conversation with Wendy Breitenfeld, Imagine!’s Payroll Specialist. “Wendy told me how happy she was at her job, and her enthusiasm was contagious,” said Kevin. “She suggested I try volunteering, and I thought it would be a good way to check it out.”

Kevin began volunteering for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department on Thursdays and Fridays. On Thursdays, he works with CORE’s “Guys Group,” helping on consumer outings in the community. Recently, Kevin has assisted CORE at events including a tour of Coors Brewery, an outing to the stock show, and a trip to the bowling alley. On Fridays, Kevin works with Labor Source in the mornings, helping a work crew at the Hungry Toad Pub, and in the afternoon helps out with CORE’s “Radio KGNU” class. Kevin can be seen on the far left in the photo taken at the radio class.

That’s a busy schedule for anyone, but Kevin finds motivation from Imagine! employees. “I have been so impressed with the people who work for Imagine!,” said Kevin, in particular singling out staff members Jill Burcham, Jason Gillespie, and Richard Lowe for their unwavering commitment to the individuals Imagine! serves. “Imagine! has such dedicated and caring staff members,” Kevin continued.

Kevin’s stint as a volunteer has convinced him to pursue a career in the human services field – a far cry from his previous career as an investment broker! “The work Imagine! does makes a difference, it really makes lives better,” said Kevin. He is hoping to join the CORE/Labor Source staff in the near future.

Good luck, Kevin, and thank you for what you do. Support from volunteers like you is essential in creating an inclusive community!

Interested in volunteering at Imagine!? Click here.

Thank You, Boettcher Foundation

Today we’d like to thank the Boettcher Foundation for its generous grant of $20,000 to support the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

Since 1937, The Boettcher Foundation’s mission has been to invest in the minds and mortar of Colorado. The grant from the Boettcher Foundation was used toward the construction of the SmartHome.

This support is vital to one of Imagine!’s most ambitious projects. Over the past five years, Imagine! has built, and is currently operating, two SmartHomes. Imagine!’s SmartHomes provide permanent affordable housing for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities, and they incorporate cutting edge technologies to improve the quality and efficiency of services and supports for the residents.

As the first such homes in the nation, Imagine!’s SmartHomes are serving as a model for the future of residential care for people with developmental disabilities. They enhance the lives and independence of residents, augment the effectiveness of staff as caregivers, and provide cost and energy savings to Imagine!.

In addition, the SmartHome model has enormous potential to impact groups of people with related concerns (dementia, autism, chronic mental illness, and Alzheimer’s), as the homes are serving as living laboratories to create and test “SmartSupports” – assistive technologies that can be used in family homes to keep individuals with any kind of cognitive impairment living in their own homes for as long as possible.

Thank You Thursday!

Here’s a roundup of donations to the Imagine! Foundation from January 28 through February 22.

Gold ($5000-$9,999)
The Denver Foundation – Grant for Dayspring Community Calendar Activities


Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Community Foundation Serving Boulder County – For Family Support Grants
Motorola Solutions Foundation – Match for Mark Zentner Gift
Wells Fargo

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Kathy Coyne
David Edwards
Elevations Credit Union 
Jon & Karen Jones
Walt & Linda Pounds
Lloyd Streit
U. S. Bancorp Foundation
Julie Vlier
Western Disposal Services 
Barbara Zarlengo

Associate ($500-$999)
Mary Dichtl
Golden Triangle Construction 
Knights of Columbus Boulder Council #1183
Brian & Christine Moser
Jerry & Julie Rudy
Ron & Vickye Secrist

Supporter ($250-$499)
Whitney Blair & Beth Leibo
Scott & Claudia Culley
Sue Deans
Clay Della Cava
Doris Gray
Lindsey Kehr
Longmont Entrepreneurial Network, Inc.
Jim & Heather Mock
Luke Osborne
Dean Scheef
Nanette Schunk
Mark Zentner

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous
Jay & Maru Balzer
Neil & Judy Bicknell
Wendy Blakemore
Linda Cain
Diane Carroll
Bob & Judy Charles
Colorado Business Bank
Melody Conway
Scott Edwards
Allen Feld
Bill & Suzanne Ferrell
Teresa Gray
Erik Hall
Charles & Sally Holmes

Tim & Samantha Jenkins

Paige Norton

Pat & Michelle O’Brien
Bob & Allie Richardson
Tom Riley
Jo Ann Ringgenberg
Valorie Simpson
Dan & Sandra Stevens
Bernie & Leona Stoecker
Sue Thomas
Don & Colene Van Winkle
Greg & Alice Wellems
In Memory of Carl Schrubbe from Lo Anne Zentner

In-Kind Supporter ($250-$499)
Janine Randol – Use of timeshare for Dayspring staff
The River Community Church – Space for CORE/Labor Source’s Sensory Cooking Class

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Marisa Andrews - Clothing
Willow Call - Clothing
Phil & Patricia Pratt – Clothing

 

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.