The Imagine! Foundation's blog is designed to keep donors, consumers and their families, colleagues, and friends up to date on recent donations, grants we've received, programs we're involved in, and the people who make the Foundation work. We hope you will suggest topics you would like to see here. We look forward to hearing from you!
Today we’d like to send a big “thank you” to the Qualcomm Foundation for supporting Qualcomm employee volunteers who donated their time to Imagine! as part of the QCares Experience.
“Qualcomm's corporate volunteerism program encourages employee involvement in the community, and is our way of connecting our diverse employee base to local volunteer opportunities.
QCares creates many opportunities for its employees, friends and families to participate in charitable events. Serving a wide range of needs, our employees are helping people with disabilities, improving the environment, feeding and clothing the homeless, and caring for animals. QCares organizes volunteer team building projects as special opportunities for internal departments to foster teamwork and celebrate accomplishments, while simultaneously contributing to the improvement of our communities.”
Qualcomm sent 15 volunteers to help at Imagine!’s Garden Place residence on May 14 as part of the QCares Day of Service. The group has been supporting Imagine! for many years now and we are so thankful for their help each year!
This year the group helped to completely change the exterior look at Garden Place, which was really in need of an update.
As you can see from the before (at the top of the page) and after (at the bottom of the page) pictures, the work significantly improved the home for the residents who live at Garden Place.
Thank you, Qualcomm, for your commitment to your community, and thanks especially to the volunteers who worked so hard to make such a difference!
Friend ($1-$249) In Memory of Janice Desbien
Tom and Dani Brady IBM Lightning Eliminators and Consultants
Jackie and Rick Nelson In Memory of Lisa Micklin
Georga and Leon Reiss
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 highlight items that will help everyone usher in spring.
Personal Items for Those We Serve (Adults) in Our Residential Homes
Sports gear – especially New York Yankees
Rockies tickets for groups
Recreation center passes or punch cards
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.)
Furniture and Housing Needs for Imagine! Residential Homes
19th Street Group Home in Boulder
Garden supplies, and plants
Garden Place in Longmont
New set of silverware and a new dish set
Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
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
4-burner Gas Grill
Program Needs
Out & About
Two camping Lanterns for Catalog evening activities
ANCOR Names Alex Andrews 2015 Direct Support Professional of The Year
Honored for work in support of community living for people with disabilities
Arlington, VA. - The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) announced today that Alex Andrews of Imagine! in Lafayette, CO, is the recipient of the 2015 National Direct Support Professional Recognition Award.
Greg Wellems, Imagine!'s Director of Operations with Alex, and Kevin Harding, Imagine! Director of Information Technology
ANCOR presented the award to Andrews at a ceremony honoring Direct Support Professionals (DSP) at ANCOR's 2015 Conference: Ignite! in Arlington, VA in front of an audience of over 300 attendees.
Leah, Alex, and Diana
Since 2007, ANCOR has honored exceptional Direct Support Professionals with the Direct Support Professional Recognition Award for exemplary work in furthering community inclusion and full participation for the many Americans living with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities. Andrews was the standout of this year's field of more than 250 nominees. ANCOR also named state recipients of the DSP Recognition Award in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
Andrews, a DSP for over 17 years, is especially recognized for his work as a "Technology Architect" at his organization - modifying, implementing and maintaining assistive technology devices and systems used throughout Imagine!
Alex Andrews finds the right technology, pairs it with a person who needs it and has the skills to use it, and loving relationships develop as they learn to use it. Andrews walked down the aisle with a gentlemen who met his wife using the communication device that Andrews found and taught him to use. He stood by the side of a young man who spent many years in a state institution as he finally graduated from high school, supported by Andrews. He is currently assisting a young woman who lives with him and his family as she creates "webisodes" of her new independent life, facilitated by low and high-tech solutions shaped by Andrews.
"For him it's not just technology per se, "says Kevin Harding, Director of Information Technology at Imagine! "It's about a person who has had an issue and no one has even tried to solve the person's problem. Alex will."
"I am infatuated with technology and how it levels the playing field, "Andrews explained. "People who could not communicate start communicating and that leads to them making choices - their choices, not someone else's..."
"It is such a pleasure to read so many stories of exceptional DSPs and the work they are doing to support people with disabilities," said Barbara Merrill, ANCOR CEO. "Our national and state award recipients truly are the cream of the crop, but we know that there are many like them across the country, working largely without recognition, who deserve our gratitude and appreciation for their hard work, dedication and compassion."
"It is the mission of ANCOR's National Advocacy Campaign to obtain the resources necessary to attract and retain professionals like Mr. Andrews and this year's state award recipients," continued Merrill. "As we prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we must continue to remind our policy makers that quality services to support people with disabilities require a stable and qualified workforce who are valued for the work they do."
ANCOR's Direct Support Professional Recognition Award is given to those who personify the values of ANCOR's National Advocacy Campaign. Nominees are judged on their success in helping people with disabilities build social networks and engage in substantive community participation and for advocating for the people they serve.
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:
Recreation Center passes or punch cards for clients
Games for the Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield: Trouble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Connect 4, Hi Ho Cherry O, Go Fish, Operation, Guess Who, Quirkie, Matching Games, Puzzles of all levels of difficulty
A new set of silverware and a new dish set for Garden Place in Longmont
Non-fabric couch (6’), loveseat (5’), and chairs for Manhattan Apartments in Boulder
A new oven for Garden Place Home in Longmont
Games/activities made especially for those with Alzheimer’s/dementia for Foothills Group Home in Boulder
Garden supplies and plants for the 19th Street Group Home in Boulder
Mother's Day is just around the corner! Think of Imagine! when you are shopping for that special gift for mom. When you do your shopping at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Imagine! (aka Developmental Disabilities Center).
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 Garden Place in Longmont: new computer game; make up/cosmetics (perfume, foundation -light beige), eye shadow (taupe, browns), mascara, lipstick (any color); special soaps; books (any type, but books about animals appreciated); country music CDs; latch hook kits; romance novels; Jigsaw puzzles; sports gear (especially NY Yankees); sport posters; small book shelves; used/new area rug – around 4’ X 3’.; several cushioned chairs for the “Book Nook” area
Picnic table for Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
Basketball goal for Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
Backpacks, toys, and birthday/holiday presents for children with developmental disabilities in foster care
iPads (many departments use these for clients); heavy duty iPad covers
Imagine! provides many services to people with disabilities in our community. One of the services we provide is the opportunity for individuals to learn to express oneself through arts of different mediums.
We also believe in supporting those artists who wish to take their art to a professional level.
Today we’d like to share a couple of examples of how we are doing that, and encourage you to support these artists as well.
Imagine! CORE/Labor Source Art Instructor Bridget Carroll developed a class, 'Art at Work,' where advanced artists are encourage to create, market, and sell their art to their community and beyond. The Imagine! artists have shown their art in local coffee shops and galleries and have seen great success, but they wanted to expand their audience. Like many professional artists, the Imagine! artists asked for support in selling their art through an online venue. Their art is now for sale online through an Etsy account (click here to check it out). You can search by specific artists on the top left section of the website or just skim through the page. The artists are extremely proud and they encourage you to check out their new website! Check out two of the many works available on the site below.
The artists are offering a 20% discount when you use the coupon code 'iloveimagineart' at check out to celebrate the grand opening of their online shop.
And Mandy, who lives in Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, has been self-publishing books for some time now. Many of her books are holiday themed. Click on the images below to learn more about the books (and please consider making a purchase if you are so inclined).
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 highlight items that will help everyone usher in spring.
Personal Items for Those We Serve (Adults) in Our Residential Homes
Sports gear – especially New York Yankees
Rockies tickets for groups
Recreation center passes or punch cards
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.)
Furniture and Housing Needs for Imagine! Residential Homes
19th Street Group Home in Boulder
Garden supplies, and plants
Garden Place in Longmont
New set of silverware and a new dish set
Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
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
4-burner Gas Grill
Program Needs
Out & About
Two camping Lanterns for Catalog evening activities
And speaking of success, the performance, which was held last Friday night, was fantastic. A large and enthusiastic crowd clapped, laughed, and cheered, and the smiles on the faces of performers and the audience alike lasted long after the play came to an end.
Below are a few pictures from the performance, which you can read more about here.
This past Saturday, a group of 30 students from the University of Colorado volunteered to clean up vehicles used by Imagine!’s Out & About department. The students were hard working and cheerful, and by the end of the day the vehicles sparkled inside and out.
Thanks to Out & About staff member Shannon Oleson for coordinating this effort, Imagine! Transportation Coordinator Dan Fox for sharing the photos below, and most of all the students who gave up their Saturday to keep Imagine! looking nice and clean!
Volunteers are a huge part of Imagine!’s success. In the fiscal year 2013-14, 409 people volunteered for Imagine!, providing 12,261 hours of service. The estimated value of those volunteer hours to Imagine! during that time is $275,025.45!
Volunteers bring much more than monetary value to our organization. Imagine! is a community-based organization, and we can’t do what we do without the support of our community. Volunteering offers a great opportunity for our local friends and neighbors to experience first-hand the vital work Imagine! employees do, and just as important, to see the amazing contributions that individuals served by Imagine! bring to their communities every day. Imagine! volunteers frequently become donors to our organization, and many end up working for us full time!
So today, we’d like to highlight (and thank) just a few of the many volunteers who have made a huge difference to Imagine! and to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Boulder and Broomfield counties.
Zoe Polk has been sharing her creativity and compassion with Imagine! for nearly two years. Zoe has volunteered with Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source program, working to support staff members and students in their art, creative writing, and music classes. Zoe has also volunteered her creative talents by creating beautiful centerpieces for Imagine!’s annual fundraising event, the Imagine! Celebration.
Leona Stoecker is an incredible Imagine! ambassador. Leona regularly brings local business and community leaders, as well as individuals from around the world to tour and visit Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. Leona is an Emeritus member of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, and is recognized by all for her infectious enthusiasm and passion supporting the Imagine! mission.
Elizabeth Straka volunteers with Imagine!'s Out & About program. Elizabeth has worked with participants and staff in Out & About’s Children’s After School program during bowling outings and with Centre Stage for Kids rehearsals. Everyone appreciates the caring energy that Elizabeth brings as a volunteer, and the kids really respond well to her. She is playful, attentive, and is always willing to help where needed. In the picture above, Elizabeth is on the left wearing a black top.
The Rusk family (Kristen, Serena, Isabelle, and Jason) volunteers at Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder every Tuesday night for board game fun! Residents truly enjoy the regular good and kind-hearted vibe that the Rusk family brings each Tuesday night. Staff members at the home shared that “each resident has a blast when the Rusk family visits, because of their enthusiasm and genuine interest when chatting about what is new in each of the resident’s lives.”
By the way, are you or someone you know interested in volunteering for Imagine!? If so, contact Imagine!’s Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Hill at 303-926-6460 or ebaumann@Imaginecolorado.org.
Finally, enjoy the video below about volunteering at Imagine!.
Friend ($1-$249) In Memory of Janice Desbien
Jeff Ball
Jeff Bonadies Colorado Family Support Council
James Fleming
National Council of Child Support Directors
Vikki O’Neil
Velta Straube
Alvin Tafoya – Dayspring
YoungWilliams, PD dba El Paso County CCS
Ken Hackbarth
Deb and Doug Sandersen
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:
Charcoal Grill for the Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield
Welcome bags for children with developmental disabilities entering a new foster care placement (blankets, PJs, stuffed animals, etc.)
iPads (many departments use these for clients ); heavy duty iPad covers
A set of four kitchen chairs for the Garden Place Home in Longmont
Picnic table for Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
Arts and crafts baskets or gift certificates to Hobby Lobby/Michael’s for the Foothills Group Home in Boulder
Winter holiday decorations for the new Next Step Group Home in Broomfield: 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
Mother's Day is just around the corner. Think of Imagine! when you are shopping for that special gift for mom. When you do your shopping at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Imagine! (aka Developmental Disabilities Center).
Bookmark this link and support us every time you shop.
Today, we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to the Longmont Community Foundation. Friday morning, we received a $1,500 grant from them for general support of Imagine!’s services to Longmont individuals with developmental delays or disabilities.
The Longmont Community Foundation is a longtimefriend of the Imagine!Foundation. Their continued support is vital. Last year, Imagine! served close to 1,100 individuals in Longmont, which is by far the most of any city served by Imagine!.
Our ability to serve citizens of Longmont is greatly enhanced by assistance from local community organizations, and for years, the Longmont Community Foundation has proudly led the way in providing that support. We are so grateful!
Today, April 10, is National Siblings Day, honoring the relationships of siblings. This day is of particular importance to Imagine!, as siblings often play incredibly important roles in the lives of the people we serve. You will find Imagine! siblings among our staff members, on the Imagine! Board of Directors and the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, and of course advocating for their brothers and sisters at Imagine! every day.
To recognize National Siblings Day, Lou Ella Price, who works for Imagine!’s Innovations department, wrote the essay below about her unique experience as a sibling of a woman with intellectual disabilities. Lou Ella’s words are touching and inspiring, and we are pleased to share it with you today.
Lou Ella (top) with her sister Merribeth
Over the past year I have been fortunate to work with several advocacy efforts to support siblings of individuals in our community. Siblings are such an integral part of a person’s life who experiences a disability. Whether older or younger, they are at times the silent strength, fun, diversion, and driving force for their disabled brother or sister. They help leave the wheelchair skid marks on the wall, instigate a water fight that ends in rolling on the floor in laughter, and spend the day drawing funny faces to bring out the smiles when all there are is tears. What can be said about siblings is that they are an amazing support system that sometimes works so well that they blend into the background when so much is going on.
When my sister was diagnosed with developmental disabilities, we lived in an area that did not provide much support for families, let alone siblings. It was often a struggle just to find a doctor who understood my sister and what her needs were, and often the needs of the family were not even a part of the equation. I remember sitting in doctor’s offices while my mother talked with the doctors and feeling as if I had become invisible in the process, yet knowing that any decision made would impact my life as much as my sister’s life. The next surgery, therapy, or treatment gave me the same fears and doubts as my mom and sister. I sat in every waiting room along with my mom and sister, visited every specialist, made every trip to the emergency room, and fought every struggle with my sister.
There is a certain sense of powerlessness that siblings can feel because they are, at times, not included in the processes, and understanding the processes is very key to siblings later becoming advocates and guardians for their siblings. As parents become older, siblings can be that natural source of support, guidance, and care that is critical for continuity of care. However, many siblings that I have had the honor of meeting in the last year have expressed not feeling prepared or feeling lost in the process which has left them feeling alone yet again.
So, in honor of April 10th being the National Siblings Appreciation Day, I encourage everyone to reach out to the siblings of the families you support regardless of their age or level of involvement and thank them. Thank them for being that amazing support system that blends into the background, thank them for caring, and thank them for being involved. Also, let them know that there are resources and support systems out there for them. Siblings of individuals with disabilities should never feel alone, and they should celebrate their uniqueness.
And in honor of all of the siblings who work within the Imagine! network, thank you!
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:
Recliners (electric or manual) for 19th Street Group Home
Basketball goal for Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
New carpet for two bedrooms at Garden Place in Longmont
New barrier free lifts for moving individuals from wheelchair to bed or bath (being safer for clients and for staff) at the 19th Street Group Home in Boulder (we received a $200 donation towards these $3,000 units!)
American Furniture Warehouse gift certificates for upgrades in furniture at Garden Place in Longmont, at and the Foothills Group Home and the Manhattan Group Home in Boulder
Two camping lanterns for Out & About Catalog evening activities
As you consider your philanthropic decisions for this year, we wanted to highlight the various ways you can make an impact on Imagine!’s programs. It’s always important to consult your tax professional for expert advice.
Is that clunker taking valuable space in your garage?Donate your old car, truck or boat to Imagine! We partner with another nonprofit skilled in vehicle donations. They take the vehicle off your hands and handle the appraisal. Contact Patti Micklin at 303-926-6443 to get all the details.
One of the performers, Jordyn, will use her computerized communication device to recite her lines. Check out the short (one minute) video below to see her in action.
Once the device is open and ready for her to perform, Jordyn can automatically advance the device to her next line just by looking at it.
When Jordyn looks at the screen you will see a red dot form. If she looks at it long enough, which isn't very long, the red spot will become a red dot. This means that she has selected that button and it will perform the actions associated with it.
Each of Jordyn's lines has a different picture from the previous one so she (and staff members) can be sure she is set for her next line.
This is a simple but very profound way that technology opens doors for individuals with a variety of disabilities to demonstrate their creativity and artistic talents.
By the way, while this theatre program is already moving forward, Out & About has started a crowdfunding campaign to make sure they have the funds to make it as successful as possible. Please consider helping to support this creative and exciting project.
Check out the following video below to learn more, then click here if you would like to donate to this campaign.
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 Garden Place in Longmont: new computer game; make up/cosmetics (perfume, foundation -light beige), eye shadow (taupe, browns), mascara, lipstick (any color); special soaps; books (any type, but books about animals appreciated); country music CDs; latch hook kits; romance novels; Jigsaw puzzles; sports gear (especially NY Yankees); sport posters; small book shelves; used/new area rug – around 4’ X 3’.; several cushioned chairs for the “Book Nook” area
Backpacks, toys, and birthday/holiday presents for children with developmental disabilities in foster care
iPads (many departments use these for clients ); heavy duty iPad covers
