This year’s Imagine! Celebration had a new reason to celebrate, as 2013 is Imagine!’s 50th year of operation. The milestone was honored with 50th anniversary balloons, signs, flowers, notepads, and a brief history given by Imagine! Foundation president Sandy Bracken of just how far services for people with developmental disabilities have come during those 50 years.
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Imagine! Foundation Board President
Sandy Bracken (left) and
past Board President Leona Stoecker at the Annual
Imagine! Celebration,
which honored Imagine!’s 50th Anniversary.
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Bracken noted that when Imagine! was begun by a group of parents in 1963, the standard advice from doctors was to institutionalize any child born with a developmental disability. But this group of parents wanted to keep their children at home and create a life of meaning and fulfillment for them. Thus Imagine! was created, but many challenges still loomed. For example, Bracken noted that even though the 1960s Civil Rights Act increased equal rights pertaining to race and gender, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the Individual’s with Disabilities Education Act declared students with disabilities as also having inalienable civil rights to a public education. Today, after many years of continued effort, Imagine! takes pride in its ability to help the 2,850 individuals whom it serves each year to have quality lives and to be an integral part of a thriving community.
Though the history was sobering and gave context and meaning to the event, the evening at the Plaza Conference Center in Longmont was also festive! A total of $230,000 was raised to support Imagine! programs and services. Generous restaurants, hotels, businesses, and individuals donated 215 auction items. The silent auction item that proved most popular was a coin proof set from 1975 that sold for 367% of its value! In the live auction, conducted by auctioneer Gary Corbett, a
Jax Fish House Chef’s Table Dinner sold for five times its value, and former Foundation president Leona Stoecker’s “Year of Home-Baked Bread” sold for 11 times its value!
The latest technology, which Imagine! is known for, also played a role. Last year, for the first time, guests were able to bid on silent auction items using their smartphones, and smartphone bidding accounted for 11% of the bids. This year, nearly one-fourth of all bids placed were placed on smartphones.
Emcee George Karakehian, an Imagine! Foundation emeritus member, spoke of the $5.3 million raised by the Imagine! Foundation to date and introduced a video produced by Imagine! employees Alex Andrews and Fred Hobbs. The
video shared the stories of two individuals Imagine! has served – Joe Hansen, who works at Safeway and is a member of the
Imagine! Board of Directors, and Chris Miller, who has gained a sense of belonging from Imagine!’s
Out & About summer camp and after school programs.
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Imagine! CEO Mark Emery (left) poses
with Margie Shaw and her son,
Chris Miller. Margie and Chris were featured in a
video, which
debuted at the Celebration, about Imagine!’s services.
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Parents Cindy and Dwight Newell were kind enough to share the personal story of their daughter Lindsey, who has received many services from Imagine! during her 22 years. The Newells expressed particular appreciation for Imagine! staff members who provided care and help for Lindsey above and beyond what might be expected as she went through a difficult crisis and who truly made it possible for Lindsey to continue to live at home. The Newells courageously and eloquently reminded everyone in the room of why they were there, which provided a fitting ending to an important evening for those we serve.
Special thanks to the Imagine! Celebration Committee and to our event sponsors for their significant contribution to the event’s success.
