Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Boulder Community Health - Imagine! Celebration Gold Sponsor
Wells Fargo

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
EKS&H - Imagine! Celebration Table Sponsor

Supporter ($250-$499)
Home State Bank

Friend ($1-$249)
MGM & United Artists
Deb and Doug Sandersen
Melissa and Charles Wood

In-Kind Associate ($500-$999)
Dr. Jeff Kupfer - computer and peripherals

As always, we thank all of our generous donors. 

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Patti Micklin at pmicklin@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

This week's Wish List:

Personal Items for Those We Serve (Adults) in Our Residential Homes
Books – any kind, but especially books about animals and romance novels
Jigsaw puzzles of all levels of difficulty
Board games: Trouble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Connect 4, Hi Ho Cherry O, Go Fish, Operation, Guess Who, Quirkie, matching games
Sports gear – especially New York Yankees
Sports posters
Latch hook kits
Music CDs – especially country
Make-up/cosmetics (perfume, light beige foundation, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick)
iPads; heavy duty iPad covers
Rockies tickets for groups
Arts and craft supplies OR gift certificates to Michaels’ or Hobby Lobby
Computer games
Essential Tremor adaptive utensils, clothing, computer aids, writing devices, etc. for individuals with hand tremors (http://essentialtremor.org/treatments/assistive-devices/)
Games/activities made especially for those with Alzheimer’s/dementia
Recreation center passes or punch cards
Gift Cards to educational stores: www.beyondtheblackboard.com; www.lakeshorelearning.com; www.reallygoodstuff.com; www.educatorsoutlet.com; www.banksschoolsupply.com
DVD player
Stationary bike

Personal items for Those We Serve (Children) in Foster Care and Early Intervention Services
Backpacks, toys, and birthday presents for children in foster care
Welcome bags for children entering a new foster care placement (blankets, PJs, stuffed animals, etc.)
iPads; heavy duty iPad covers

Furniture and Housing Needs for Imagine! Residential Homes

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder
Recliners (electric and manual)

Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont
Dining table and chairs for eight

Garden Place in Longmont
New area rug 4 x 3
Small book shelves
Several cushioned chairs for the “Book Nook”
Set of four kitchen chairs
New oven
New carpet for two bedrooms
New set of silverware and a new dish set

Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
Non-fabric couch (6’), loveseat (5’), and chairs
Basketball goal
Picnic table
Two small raised garden beds (3 ft tall, 4 ft long, and 3 ft wide) for vegetable gardening

Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield
Winter holiday decorations: a very large tree, a star or angel to put on top, many lights, boughs of holly, ornaments, statue types of decorations that can be placed on tables or mantles (no candles or candle holders), a wreath
Dart board
Puzzle glue
Bread machine
Clip on umbrellas for wheelchairs
Canisters for storing
Placemats
Electric carving knife
Standing Mixer

All
American Furniture Warehouse gift certificates for upgrades to furniture in several homes

Program Needs

Out & About
Two camping Lanterns for Catalog evening activities

Introducing The Imagine! Foundation's New Mission Statement

Last week, we told you that Imagine!’s Board of Directors has approved a new mission statement for Imagine!:

Creating a world of opportunity for all abilities

Since the Imagine! Foundation’s mission statement is tied to Imagine!’s mission statement, we have updated our mission as well:

The Imagine! Foundation supports Imagine! in creating a world of opportunity for all abilities

Check out this video to learn more about Imagine!’s new mission statement:

 

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Introducing Imagine!'s New Mission Statement

Imagine! has a new mission statement! The information below comes from Imagine! CEO Mark Emery’s blog:


Today, I’m very pleased to present Imagine!’s new mission statement:

Creating a world of opportunity for all abilities.

 
Check out the short video below, then feel free to read more below about how we arrived at the statement, and how we think it represents Imagine! now and moving forward.

 

Can’t see the video? Click here. 

More than two years ago, we determined it was time for a new mission. The old mission had served us well, but it no longer represented the current reality of Imagine!. We needed a mission that reflected some basic facts about Imagine!:

• We do not only serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD); 
• Our activities go beyond delivering and arranging direct services to people; 
• And most importantly, Imagine! is unique from other providers of service and other organizations who function as CCBs. Imagine! is recognized as a great provider, innovator, and a leader in the field at the local, state and national levels. What we do matters to people we will never even know. 

In addition, we wanted a mission that:

• Was short (7 or 8 words tops); 
• Used positive language; 
• Was clear, memorable, and concise; 
• And perhaps most importantly, the new mission would not merely be a statement of what we do. Instead we wanted something that would serve as a unifying focal point of effort for all Imagine! stakeholders. We wanted it to be an audacious goal we could measure ourselves against. It doesn’t mean the goal would necessarily be a sure bet ... but it is one that we as an organization believe we can do anyway. 

So we gathered a team, including staff members and members of our Board of Directors, to create a new mission using this challenge as a jumping off point: Describe a world unaffected by cognitive disabilities, followed by, Is what you do every day contributing to this described world? In the end, we wanted a mission that indicates that everything we are doing, directly or indirectly, is creating this world.

After much brainstorming, engaging employees at all levels, conducting surveys on various mission statement options, we feel like we have come up with one that satisfies all of the criteria above. It is memorable and it is aspirational. It is a mission we believe that everyone associated with Imagine! can point to and say, “Yes, I believe in that, I can get behind that, and I can use that as something to strive for and look to in guiding my actions and where we all see our organization going in the future.”

My thanks to the many people who were involved in the process.

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Friend ($1-$249)
Lu Walters and Kent Arnold
Amy Callahan
East Boulder Optimist Club
IBM

In-Kind Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Qualcomm - furniture for CORE/Labor Source

In-Kind Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Thomas O'Neill - furniture and treadmill for Innovations

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249) 
Donna George - toys for Dayspring

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to Imagine! include:

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Linda and Dick Livingston

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Walter Eberspacher

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Collins Foundation - grant for general program support
Gebhardt Automotive - Imagine! Celebration Table Sponsor
Stephen Tebo - Imagine! Celebration Silver Sponsor

Friend ($1-$249)
Vicki Peluse
The Philoptochos Society of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Patti Micklin at pmicklin@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

This week's Wish List:

Items under $50 

• Books – any kind, but especially books about animals and romance novels 
• Jigsaw puzzles of all levels of difficulty 
• Board games: Trouble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Connect 4, Hi Ho Cherry O, Go Fish, Operation, Guess Who, Quirkie, matching games 
• Sports posters 
• Latch hook kits 
• Music CDs – especially country 
• Make-up/cosmetics (perfume, light beige foundation, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick) 
• Toys and birthday presents for children in foster care 
• Garden supplies and plants 
• Dart board 
• Puzzle glue 
• Camping lantern 

Check out the entire Wish List here. 

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Platinum ($10,000+)
Virginia Hill Foundation - grant for Dayspring Community Calendar Activities

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Anonymous (1)
Sunflower Bank - Imagine! Celebration Silver Sponsor

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Connie and Andy Minden - Imagine! Celebration Table Sponsor

Associate ($500-$999)
Jennifer Kingsbury
Carol Ann and John Mehaffy

Friend ($1-$249)
Carasolva
Ken Hackbarth
IBM
Sharon Reamer
Deb and Doug Sandersen
Carolyn and Marion Weygandt

In-Kind Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Anonymous - Furniture and kitchenware for Innovations

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Connie Menger - 2 wheelchairs and a stander

As always, we thank all of our generous donors. 

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Patti Micklin at pmicklin@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

This week's Wish List:

Program Needs 

Out & About 
Two camping Lanterns for Catalog evening activities

Case Management
Bedbug extermination services for a family receiving services from Imagine!

Check out the entire Wish List here. 

Thank You, Virginia W. Hill Foundation

Today, we’d like to thank The Virginia W. Hill Foundation for its recent grant of $10,000 to support Imagine!’s Dayspring department’s Community Calendar Activities (CCA) program. We very much appreciate the Foundation’s support of this valuable extension of our early intervention services for young children with developmental disabilities or delays.

Through CCA, Imagine!’s early childhood special educators and pediatric occupational therapists work with babies and toddlers during group play and fitness activities in community settings, encouraging motor, sensory, social, emotional, cognitive, and speech and language development. CCA enhances the impact of direct therapies during a critical window in human development, thereby increasing the chances that these vulnerable children will “catch up” to their age peers. In addition, the program provides the children’s families both an introduction to appropriate activities in their communities and the confidence to access them independently.

Because no federal or state funds are available for CCA and it relies completely on community support, this generous grant is very important and much appreciated.

The Virginia W. Hill Foundation, managed by Wells Fargo, was established by the late Virginia Hill, a noted Denver philanthropist. Mrs. Hill was known in her lifetime for her charitable giving to better the lives of people living in the American West. She was, for example, a major donor in the early 1960's to the restoration of Ft. Laramie. In recent years, Mrs. Hill's Foundation has contributed significantly to improving the health—especially the mental health—of people living in the Denver Metropolitan area.

We are extremely grateful to The Virginia W. Hill Foundation’s continued support of young children and families in our community.

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Polk Family

Friend ($1-$249)
AmazonSmile Foundation
Anonymous - donations at Out & About Centre Stage production
Alice and Pete Madden

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Wish List Wednesday

Welcome to the latest edition of The Wish List. Included below are items that would augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services for the individuals we serve and would be much appreciated. If you are able to provide an item, please contact Patti Micklin at pmicklin@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome. Please check out this blog every Wednesday to see new Wish List Items.

This week's Wish List:

Furniture and Housing Needs for Imagine! Residential Homes

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder

• Recliners (electric and manual) 

Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont 

• Dining table and chairs for 8 

Garden Place in Longmont

• New area rug 4 x 3 
• Small book shelves 
• Several cushioned chairs for the “Book Nook” 
• Set of four kitchen chairs 
• New oven 
• New carpet for two bedrooms 
• New set of silverware and a new dish set 

Manhattan Group Home in Boulder

• Non-fabric couch (6’), loveseat (5’), and chairs 
• Basketball goal 
• Picnic table 
• Two small raised garden beds (3 ft tall, 4 ft long, and 3 ft wide) for vegetable gardening 

Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield

• Dart board 
• Puzzle glue 
• Bread machine 
• Clip on umbrellas for wheelchairs 
• Canisters for storing Placemats 
• Electric carving knife 
• Standing Mixer 

All Homes

• American Furniture Warehouse gift certificates for upgrades to furniture in several homes 

Check out the entire Wish List here.