Foundation Summer Board Get Together

Earlier this week, members of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors and staff joined together to celebrate the end of another successful fiscal year.

There were plenty of reasons to celebrate. Here’s just a few:

• In 2016-17, The Foundation raised almost $660,000 to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities! 
• Everyone's hard work allowed us to complete payment on both of Imagine!’s SmartHomes, and reduced the amount left to pay off other Imagine! group homes to only $85,000, meaning those payments should easily be completed in the coming fiscal year. 
• Thanks to a very generous donor, Imagine! is working on an innovative solution to its biggest challenge -- employees! The Imaginect App is live and the testing phase is complete. Now they are expanding it to more areas of Imagine! and recruiting more on-demand employees. 

The evening was also a chance to welcome two new board members, Steve Bryant and John Creighton, and to thank and honor Rick Nelson, who is stepping down from the Board after six years of service. Rick’s efforts on behalf of the Imagine! Foundation were nothing short of heroic. He brought in several new sponsors to the Imagine! Celebration, brought guests to the Celebration and to tour Imagine!’s SmartHomes, chaired the Marketing committee, and created mission-interaction visits for board members. Rick was thoughtful and committed, and we are so appreciative for all he has done to help create a world of opportunity for all abilities.

Imagine! Foundation Board President Don Brown (l) thanks Rick Nelson for his service.

And finally, the evening served as one more opportunity to recognize Charles Holmes for his two years  as President of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and welcome Don Brown into that role.

Charles Holmes looking relaxed after stepping down as Imagine! Foundation Board President.

Thanks to Gale and Tim Boonstra for hosting and offering such a beautiful setting to celebrate another great year with the Imagine! Foundation. And thanks to all of you for reaching out and giving so much back to our community.

Enjoy some pictures from the celebration below.

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Friend ($1-$249)
IBM
David Wilson
Michael Zimmerman

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:

For Dayspring

Nuk Brushes
Pop Toobs
Therapressure Brushes
Mr. Juice Bears
Chunky Bare Books
Pop Up Tunnels
Knobby Balls
Kickballs
Bubble Oodles
Blow Up Pools

Imagine!’s Dayspring department has been providing parent education and therapeutic services to children (ages birth to three) for more than 30 years. Dayspring believes that the family is the child’s first teacher, and takes a whole child approach to encourage parents and children to build upon their strengths. Dayspring provides services and supports to children where they live, learn, and play. 

Check out the entire Wish List here. 

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Associate ($500-$999)
Qualcomm Foundation

Supporter ($250-$499)
Alice and Pete Madden

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous (1)
Lu Walters and Kent Arnold
Jessica and David Gribble
Ken Hackbarth
Nick McDowell
Barbara and Harry Newman
Deb and Doug Sandersen
Lois and Tim Sheahen

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Denver Boulder Couriers
Barb Goldman - office supplies
Susan Rendek - puzzles and kitchen appliances for Innovations

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:

For Imagine!’s Out & About Program 

• Two camping Lanterns for Catalog evening activities 
• Three fishing poles 
• Fold-down wheelchair 
• Strider Bikes 

Out & About provides summer camp, after-school, and school closure day programs for school-aged children with developmental disabilities, as well as weekend activities for adults. All activities are community-based and are designed within a therapeutic framework.
 
Check out the entire Wish List here. 

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.

Furniture and Housing Needs for Imagine! Residential Homes

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder

New barrier free lifts for moving individuals from wheelchair to bed or bath (being safer for clients and for staff)

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
Waffle Iron
Bluetooth Speaker (Bose or other)

All

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

Thank You, UPS

Today, we’d like to say thank you to the good people at UPS. On Tuesday, UPS sent a team of volunteers to help with Imagine!’s Dayspring department’s Messy Play Day. The team arrived early to help set up all of the stations and help Dayspring prepare for the arrival of families later in the morning. Many of the Dayspring staff commented on how helpful and efficient the team of volunteers was. The volunteers helped with the activity from start to finish, and we are grateful to UPS and their volunteers for their support!

If you or your group are interested in volunteering with Imagine!, please contact Elizabeth Hill. 

What is Messy Play Day? Messy Play Day is one of Imagine!'s Dayspring department's Community Calendar Activities (CCAs). CCAs introduce 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.

Messy Play Day is designed to introduce new sensory experiences to the children in a safe and comfortable environment. Learning occurs as children touch, manipulate, experiment, and talk about things, while interacting with people who facilitate without directing.

But the paragraphs above are just words. Take a look at the pictures below of some of the Messy Play Day sensory activities to see what the words look like in action.

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Associate ($500-$999)
The Callahan Family
Milton Karavites

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous (1)
Catherine Bailey
Laura Ball
Kaitlyn Bergeron
Rachel Bowles
Wendy Breitenfeld
Alicia Burdick

Hope Cardoza
Jennifer Carr
Carol Chesser
Belinda Chirinos
Elena Ciaravino
Karen Collins
Michelle Conkey-Sajban
Brenna Dowdy
Mark Emery
Tina Fisbeck
Heather Frostman
Susan and Bob Gabriel
Jessica Gaylord
Dominique Guillen
Kevin Harding
Lori Havatian
Martha Heimbaugh
Elizabeth Hill
Fred Hobbs
IBM Corporation
Karen Kalis
Eva Klemens
Maria Klickna
Violet Lehman
Richard Lowe
Stephanie MacAlpine
Colette Marie
Jacob Martinez
Megan McKean
Patti Micklin
Andorra Morgan
Lucy Mwangi
Cynthia Navarrette
John Nevins
Cindy Newell
Gabrielle Norton
Rebecca Novinger
Kit Peiffer
Robin Phillips
Carla Rapp
Laurel Rochester
Chad Russell
Heather Sabo
Jenna Sallee
Erin Schram
Patrick Scott
Patti Showman
Caroline Siegfried
Mary Simonson
Erika Skewes
Erica Stamm
Judith Sutter
Victoria Thorne
Chantelle Tweten-Crumbliss
Victoria Warren
Greg Wellems
Tim West-Heiss
Sterling Wind
Jamie Zimenoff
Silvija Zvirblyte

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.

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
Wheelchair-Bicycle Tandem: http://www.frankmobility.com/duetfeat.php
SmartLift foldable, packable transport system: https://www.etac.com/products/hoists-and-slings/mobile-hoists/molift-smart-150/

Thank You, Charles

This morning, at the Imagine! Foundation’s Annual Board of Directors meeting, a new slate of officers were elected.

We’ll share those new officers later, but today we wanted to offer our sincere thanks to Charles Holmes, who served as Board President over the past year.

Under his guidance, the Foundation had one of its most successful years ever, and his unique combination of humor and intelligent leadership kept staff and Board members laughing while remaining focused on supporting Imagine!’s mission of creating a world of opportunity for all abilities.

Charles will still be serving on the Board, so fortunately instead of farewell we only have to say “thanks” for his service.

 Charles is pictured below on the left with incoming Board President Don Brown.

Thank You, Centaurus High School Cheerleading Team

Imagine!’s Out & About Summer Camp starts on Monday, and it sure is nice when they can start the summer off with all of the vehicles used for transporting campers looking shiny and clean.

Thanks to the Centaurus High School Cheerleading team, that will certainly be the case this summer. The cheer squad volunteered to show up bright and early Wednesday morning and thoroughly clean the Out & About vehicles, both inside and out. We thank them for their time and efforts, and for making our cars and vans sparkle like new!

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Associate ($500-$999)
In memory of Charles Simonsen
  Premier Members Credit Union

Friend ($1-$249)
In memory of Charles Simonsen
  Family Chiropractic Clinic
  Mayrene Kiyota
  Jean Hast-Sammons and Donald Sammons
  Tracy and James Schneider

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.