Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donations to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Cash Donations This Week

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) – $1500 grant for energy upgrades to an Imagine! home through EOC’s Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP)

Friend ($1-$249)
Robert Kretsch
Rick & Jackie Nelson
Screen Actors Guild - Foreign Royalties -- Residuals from Jay Montgomery’s brother Billy’s role in “Rain Man”

In-Kind Donations This Week

In-Kind Silver ($2500-$4,999)
Energy Outreach Colorado – grant for in-kind energy upgrades to an Imaigne! home through EOC’s Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP)

In-Kind Supporter ($250-$499)
Xcel Energy – grant for in-kind energy upgrades to an Imagine! home through EOC’s Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP)

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous – children’s books and toys
Kate Christensen – therapeutic toys
Lafayette Florist – four flower arrangements for Donor Recognition Reception
Liquor Mart – Beer, water, glasses for Donor Recognition Reception
Sage and Savory Catering – discount on gratuity for Donor Recognition Reception

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Pictured are residents of Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome saying “thank you” in sign language.

Thank You, Western Digital and WD Foundation

Today we’d like to thank the WD Foundation for its recent grant of $3,000 to Imagine! for Family Support Grants in Boulder County.

The Western Digital Charitable Foundation, or the “WD Foundation”, a California nonprofit benefit corporation, was created in 1997 to support Western Digital’s philanthropic activities that support economic, social, educational, and health needs in their regional business communities within the United States. As such, WD Foundation grants are directed toward nonprofit organizations in Orange, Santa Clara and Alameda Counties in California, and Boulder County, Colorado.

Family Support Grants help pay for the extraordinary costs of caring for a family member who has a developmental disability. Funds may be used to help pay for respite care, professional services, medical and dental senses, transportation, assistive technology, home modifications, and parent and sibling support.

Anyone who has a family member with a developmental disability knows how difficult it can be to pay for some of these expenses, and these grants can make a huge difference.

As one family told us:

“This grant will help ease the financial stress and burden that comes with having a special needs child. It helps offset costs that insurance does not cover. Each year it seems that insurance covers less to help our child function in the world. We have dealt with that by cutting down on therapies, respite, and recreation activities. This grant helps us keep some of those things in place.”

This is not the first time Western Digital has provided generous support to families in Boulder County who have children with developmental disabilities. Last year, they provided a $10,000 grant toward Family Support Grants, and before that, they donated six hard drives to Imagine!’s SmartHomes.

Thank you, Western Digital and the WD Foundation, for your support of families and their children with intellectual disabilities.

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Gold ($5,000 - $9,999)
The Louis and Harold Price Foundation ($5,000 grant for Family Support Grants)

Associate ($500-$999)

Motorola Solutions Foundation 

Friend ($1-$249)
MGM & United Artists Services Company  (Residuals from Jay Montgomery’s brother Billy’s role in “Rain Man”)


In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
Greg & Pam Felderman – children’s clothing
Jonathan & Shannon Gray – children’s toys

As always, we say “thank you” to all of our generous donors.

Thank You, Tracy Family Foundation

Today we’d like to say “thanks” to the Tracy Family Foundation for its recent $1,000.00 “Next Generation” Grant to Imagine! for operational support.

The Tracy Family Foundation was incorporated in December 1997, by the Robert and Dorothy Tracy Family. The 60-plus members of the Tracy Family created the Foundation as a means to share their many blessings and to live out the values instilled in them by Robert and Dorothy Tracy.

Thank you for supporting some of our most vulnerable citizens, Tracy Family Foundation!

Appreciation Shared At Donor Recognition Reception

The Imagine! Foundation’s second Donor Recognition Reception, held this past April, brought together supporters of Imagine! and the Foundation for an evening of beverages, hors d’oeuvres, updates, and appreciation. All donors of a cumulative $1,000 or more since the Foundation began in 2001 were invited to the event. Alexander (Sandy) Bracken, President of the Board of Directors of the Imagine! Foundation, brought donors up to date on the Foundation’s progress since the previous Recognition Reception in 2008. At that time, the Foundation had raised $2,257,026. In the past four years, total revenue has more than doubled to $4,842,964.

Sandy also recognized the 156 donors whose names occupy the Donor Wall sculpture in the John Taylor Conference Center in Lafayette where the reception was held. These donors have given cumulative gifts to Imagine! of $5,000 or more. Sandy also honored those who have joined the Imagine! Promise by putting Imagine! in their wills.

The evening was capped by presentations by Imagine! CEO Mark Emery, who talked about Imagine!’s leadership role in the state and throughout the nation in the field of developmental disabilities, and Greg Wellems, Director of Business Services, who told stories of the successes of residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome and the Charles Family SmartHome, which have been nearly completely paid for by Foundation donors.

Enjoy some photos of attendees below.

Sally Bracken and Foundation President Alexander (Sandy) Bracken

Arlene and Peter Heinz (left) with Lafayette Mayor Carolyn Cutler

Foundation Founder Bob Charles and his wife Judy

Carol Ann Mehaffy

Foundation grantwriter Christina Craigo

New Foundation Board Member Chuck Sisk

Foundation Board member David Edwards (left) and
 former Foundation Board Member Stephen Tebo

Don and Kathy Weibel

Imagine!'s Director of Business Services Greg Wellems
 with Dick and Linda Livingston

Imagine! Board Member Joe Hansen and his mother Jeanette Hansen

Foundation Board Member Emeritus John Mehaffy 
withFoundation Past President Leona Stoecker

Imagine! CEO Mark Emery, Rose Weyman, Barbara Regan

Foundation Board Member Rick Nelson (left) with Riki Frea and
new Foundation Board Member Bill Frea

Foundation Vice President Walt Pounds
and Foundation Executive Director Susan LaHoda

Imagine! Board of Directors President-Elect Whitney Blair

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of donations to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Faith Community Lutheran Church Outreach Grant – Grant of $3,000 for Imagine!’s Emergency Fund

Supporter ($250-$499)

Thelma Haydon

Friend ($1-$249)

Mary Addison Muriel Raines

ATG-Colorado

In-Kind Donations

In Kind Platinum ($10,000 +) 

Microsoft Corporation - $346,649 in Microsoft software in support of staff efficiency!! 

In-Kind Associate ($500-$999)

Ron & Carolyn Hughes – sectional couch and loveseat and two chairs

In-Kind Friend

Denver Boulder Couriers – three courier trips

As always, we are most thankful to all of our generous donors.

Thank You, Virginia W. Hill Foundation

Today we’d like to say “thanks” to The Virginia W. Hill Foundation for its recent grant of $3,000 to support the Imagine!'s Dayspring Community Calendar Activities program.

The Virginia W. Hill Foundation 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.

Dayspring’s Community Calendar activities introduce families with children who have developmental disabilities or delays 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.

Thank you, Virginia W. Hill Foundation, for your support of some of the youngest people served by Imagine!.

Thank You, Microsoft

Today, we am pleased to announce that Microsoft has made a donation of $346,649.00 worth of Microsoft software to Imagine!. Wow!

Here’s some background and detail:

In recent years, the need for Imagine!’s services has been increasing while government funding for those services has been steadily withdrawn. Colorado is currently 47th on the list of the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) in per capita funding for services for people with developmental disabilities. Imagine!’s visionary staff is working on a variety of strategies for improving the funding and service delivery models for this population throughout Colorado.

Even under the most optimistic scenarios, however, it is essential that Imagine! seize every opportunity to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of its staff in order to serve more clients as financial resources dwindle. Imagine!’s staff consists of approximately 600 employees working throughout the service area. While many of these employees share a computer with other staff members, nearly all require individual email accounts and file-sharing capabilities.

This software donation will increase Imagine!’s employees’ capacity to update electronic documents relating to service delivery quickly and accurately, and share documents while ensuring confidentiality. In addition, the software will bring Imagine!’s technology infrastructure up to current releases and allow all employees to use the same version of Microsoft Office.

The upgrades to Imagine!’s servers, email system, and core software donated by Microsoft will free up significant resources that can be invested in direct care of the individuals we serve, or other valuable activities such as staff development or cultivating relationships with community partners.

We cannot thank Microsoft enough for this generous donation. The impact it will have on our organization and, more importantly, the people we serve, will be tremendous. We are deeply grateful.

Thank You Thursday!

Generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation this week include:

Friend ($1-$249)
Kathy Coyne
Daniel & Sandra Stevens

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Friend

Adam & Erin Fahrenbruch – Children’s Toys
Phil & Patricia Pratt – Children’s Clothing

As always, we thank all of our generous donors.

Imagine! In The News

There was a great story from this weekend’s Daily Camera about Imagine! SmartHome resident Gerald and his job at Twisted Pine Brewery.

Check it out here.

The story also featured a cool video:

 

Thank You Thursday: The Denver Foundation

Today we’d like to say “thanks” to The Denver Foundation for its recent grant of $5,000 to support the Imagine!'s Dayspring Community Calendar Activities program.

The Denver Foundation is a community foundation dedicated to improving life in Metro Denver through inspiring people and mobilizing resources to strengthen the community. Community foundations are endowments - permanent pools of money contributed by donors to benefit a specific geographic area. ln 2010, The Foundation awarded $69 million to nonprofit organizations.

Dayspring’s Community Calendar activities introduce families with children who have developmental disabilities or delays 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.

We are sincerely grateful for The Denver Foundation’s support of children and families served by Imagine!.

Imagine! Gets REAL (Award)

Last week, Imagine! Foundation Executive Director Susan LaHoda had the pleasure of attending Boulder Magazine’s REAL Awards ceremony. Especially exciting for Susan was the fact that Imagine! won a REAL Award in the Non-Profit, Community at Large category.

The award is a real honor, especially considering the other finalists in our category. The Colorado Chautauqua Association, Community Cycles, and KGNU Community Radio are all excellent examples of organizations making a difference in our community, and any one of them could have won.

REAL stands for “Recognizing Everything About Local,” and that is a big part of what makes the award so special for Imagine!. What we do at Imagine! is essentially a community building endeavor, and we wouldn’t be successful without the support of our community.

That community support of Imagine! was on display at the ceremony. Many of the other finalists and winners of the evening were organizations and individuals that have supported Imagine! in many different ways. So we can truly say that although the award plaque says “Imagine!,” everybody in attendance last night had a hand in our success, and the award is as much theirs as it is ours.

Thank you Boulder Magazine, the esteemed panel of REAL Award judges, and everyone who has supported, and continues to support, Imagine! and the people we serve. We are truly grateful.

Imagine! Foundation Donor Recognition Reception

Donors to the Imagine! Foundation during the past 11 years will be honored and thanked at a reception on Wednesday, April 25 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Imagine!’s John M. Taylor Conference Center, 1665 Coal Creek Drive, Lafayette. A brief program will bring guests up to date on Imagine!’s involvement at the state and national level, including an update on activities at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder and the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. Since the Foundation’s inception in 2001,community donors have provided nearly $4,850,000 to benefit those Imagine! serves.

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Combined Federal Campaign (Individual donations will be listed at the end of the fiscal year.)

Associate ($500-$999)
Howard and Mary Allen Fund/The Longmont Community Foundation
McCarty Charitable Fund/The Longmont Community Foundation Friend

($1-$249)
In Memory of Patricia Coyne
   From Mary Chokran
Walt & Linda Pounds

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Congratulations Charles “Chuck” Sisk

Today we’d like to say “congratulations” to Charles "Chuck" Sisk for his induction into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame, Class of 2012.

Mr. Sisk is a partner in the firm of Hurth, Sisk & Blakemore.

Mr. Sisk moved to Colorado at the age of one. His great grandparents homesteaded in Colorado in 1871. Mr. Sisk received his B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1967 and his J.D. from the University of Colorado in 1969. He joined Hurth, Sisk & Blakemore in 1973 after serving three years as Deputy District Attorney for Boulder County.

Mr. Sisk has served as Boulder County’s Public Administrator since 1977. As such, he is regularly appointed by the Court to represent minors, the elderly and the mentally or physically challenged who need legal representation.

A former (20-year) college football referee in the Mountain West Athletic Conference, Mr. Sisk is active in numerous civic organizations and recently ended an eight year run as Mayor of Louisville, Colorado due to term limits.

Mr. Sisk is licensed to practice law in the Colorado State Courts and the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Mr. Sisk has recently agreed to become a member of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, and will be beginning his service in June. His experience and knowledge will be a great asset to the board, and we look forward to working with him.

If you are interested in attending the April 25 Boulder County Business Hall of Fame luncheon, click here.

Vote Imagine!

Imagine!’s Community Calendar Activities (CCA) program, run by our Dayspring department, is up for a Community Foundation Serving Boulder County NOVA Award – and you can help by voting for Imagine! (and other great organizations) this week.

Click here to learn more about CCA and to vote!

Go Dayspring!

Thank You Thursday!

This week’s roundup of generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation includes:

Silver ($2,500-$4,999)
Art & Marion Seder

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

In Memory of Viola Dingman

  From Gary Stewart

Associate ($500-$999)

Rotary eClub One

Supporter ($250-$499)

Apple Matching Gifts Program

Michelle Parsons

Friend ($1-$249)
Emily Gadacz
Patricia Gray
Timothy Shanahan – IBM Payroll Deduction
In Memory of Valerie Straight

  From Anonymous

  From Stuart & Barbara Boyd

  From James Carter & Ruth Fletcher-Carter

  From David Carton

  From Glen & Ina Gwin

  From Carolyn Kiehn

  From Eugene & Marilyn Schneider

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Friend

Denver Boulder Couriers – one courier trip

As always, thank you to all of our generous donors.

Celebrate National Siblings Day

Today is National Siblings Day, so we’d like to take this opportunity to give a great big shout out to all the siblings of the individuals served by Imagine!. Siblings play a vital role in the lives of their brothers and sisters with disabilities, and many of the folks we serve are blessed with incredibly supportive siblings. In fact, several members of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors serve on the board because of their experiences growing up with a sibling with an intellectual disability.

If you are interested in learning more, check out The Sibling Leadership Network (SLN), a national nonprofit dedicated to providing siblings of individuals with disabilities the information, support and tools to advocate with their brothers and sisters and to promote issues important to them and their entire families.

Thank You Thursday!

Here’s a roundup of generous donations to the Imagine! Foundation from the last week.

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Mutual of America – Table Sponsor at Imagine! Celebration
Imagine! Employee “Transcend $10,000” Campaign – 3rd Quarter

Friend ($1-$249)
In Memory of William Beam
  From Lo Anne Zentner
In Memory of Guy Smith
  From Anonymous
  From Randi Madsen
In Honor of Jane Sprague and Maureen Kelly
  From Joshua Putterman and Family
In Memory of Valerie Straight
  From Carrie Davis

As always, thanks to all of our generous donors.

Thank You, Walmart

Today we’d like to say “thank you” to two local Walmart stores that have contributed recently to help support Imagine!’s Family Support Grants Program.

Family Support Grants help pay for the extraordinary costs of caring for a family member who has a developmental disability. Funds may be used to help pay for respite care, professional services, medical and dental senses, transportation, assistive technology, home modifications, and parent and sibling support.

Anyone who has a family member with a developmental disability knows how difficult it can be to pay for some of these expenses, and these grants can make a huge difference.

As one family told us: “This grant will help ease the financial stress and burden that comes with having a special needs child. It helps offset costs that insurance does not cover. Each year it seems that insurance covers less to help our child function in the world. We have dealt with that by cutting down on therapies, respite and recreation activities. This grant helps us keep some of those things in place.”

The Walmart located at 500 Summit Boulevard in Broomfield recently gave $1,000 to underwrite a Family Support Grant for a Broomfield family, and the Walmart located at 745 US Highway 287 in Lafayette  recently gave $1,000 to underwrite a Family Support Grant for a Boulder County family.

Other local Walmart stores have supported our Family Support Grants in the past, including two Walmart stores in Longmont that contributed $2,500 each in 2009.

Thank you, Walmart, for your continued support of Imagine! and the families we serve!

Light It Up Blue For Autism

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation are “Lighting It Up Blue” to help shine a light on autism.

Learn more here.

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.