Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Associate ($500-$999)
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Baker

Friend ($1-$249)
Kathy Coyne
In Memory of Ben Castaneda
  Elissa and Gregory Dente
IBM
Thelma Whitaker

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:

• Recliners (electric or manual) for 19th Street Group Home 
• Basketball goal for Manhattan Group Home in Boulder 
• Essential Tremor adaptive utensils, clothing, computer aids, writing devices, etc. for individuals with hand tremors at the Foothills Group Home in Boulder (http://essentialtremor.org/treatments/assistive-devices/) 
• 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 

Check out the entire Wish List here.

Spring Cleaning – Donate Your Old Car

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.

Technology Opens Doors To Artistic Expression

On Friday, April 17, Imagine!’s Out & About department is hosting its Centre Stage Kids Style Performance 2015: Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock. The play is based on a popular African Folk Tale series Anansi Stories.

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.

 
Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Jordyn’s mom, Leslie, explains the process:

1. 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. 
2. 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. 
3. 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.

   
Can’t see the video? Click here.

Thank You Thursday

Recent generous donors to the Imagine! Foundation include:

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
In Honor of Luke Goresline
  Chevron Matching Gift from Paul Diede
Frasier Meadows Retirement Community – Imagine! Celebration Table Sponsor

Associate ($500-$999)
City of Louisville – Family Support Grants
Becky and Dennis Fase – Imagine! Celebration Silver Sponsor

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous

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 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 
• Gift Cards to educational stores: www.beyondtheblackboard.com; www.lakeshorelearning.com; www.reallygoodstuff.com; www.educatorsoutlet.com; www.banksschoolsupply.com 
• DVD Player for Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome 
• Futon frame and mattress for 19th Street Group Home 

Check out the entire Wish List here.

Thank You Thursday

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

Cash Donations

  

Gold ($5,000-$9,999)
Mutual of America – Imagine! Celebration Gold Sponsor

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Cloud Peak Energy – Imagine! Celebration Table Sponsor

Associate ($500-$999)
Import Coachworks

Supporter ($250-$499)
David Mudge

Friend ($1-$249)
Gillian Walters and Kent Arnold
Fatima Chaudhry
IBM
Longmont Rotary Club – weekly charity raffle
Deb and Doug Sandersen
Gary Stebick – for Dayspring

In-Kind Donations

In-Kind Platinum ($10,000+)
Christian Church of Broomfield – year-round space for CORE/Labor Source

In-Kind Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Peak Entertainment 1stBANK Center – Suite for Harlem Globetrotters performance

In-Kind Friend ($1-$249)
City of Lafayette Recreation and Facilities Management – two garden plots for Out & About

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:

• Recreation Center passes or punch cards for clients 
• Games for the Next Step 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 

Check out the entire Wish List here.

Imagine! On KUNC Sunday March 29

A generous anonymous donor has made Imagine! the “Day Sponsor” on KUNC radio for this coming Sunday, March 29.

Throughout the day, short announcements will be made on the station about the work Imagine! does in the community. If you have a chance, give it a listen.

Thanks to our generous donor and to KUNC for the opportunity.

Support Out & About’s Centre Stage For Kids

We’ve told you several times about Imagine!’s Out & About department’s Centre Stage program for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities (like here and here and here and here).

Well, the program has been so successful with adult participants in Out & About that the ambitious staff members there decided to create a Centre Stage program for school aged kids.

The program is already moving forward, but they’ve created a crowdfunding campaign to make sure they have the funds to make it as successful as possible. So today we’d like to ask you to consider helping to support this creative and exciting project.

Check out the video below to learn more, then click here if you would like to donate to this campaign.

  
Can’t see the video? Click here. 

Even if you choose not to donate to this campaign, you can still support these talented kids by attending their performance, scheduled for April 17, at 7:00 PM, at Centaurus High School, located at 10300 S Boulder Rd, Lafayette, CO.

Admission is free, though donations are encouraged.

Thank You, Longmont Rotary Club

Today we’d like to offer our thanks to the Longmont Rotary Club, which recently made a generous donation of $241 (the proceeds of their weekly charity raffle) to the Imagine! Foundation.

Club member and Imagine! Ambassador Extraordinaire Leona Stoecker helped direct the club toward donating the funds to Imagine!.

We are so grateful to the many local organizations like the Longmont Rotary Club that demonstrate their commitment to Imagine! and the individuals we serve time and again. What we do is truly a community effort, and we are blessed to be part of a community so willing to step up and support our mission.

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 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 
•  Gift Cards to educational stores: www.beyondtheblackboard.com; www.lakeshorelearning.com; www.reallygoodstuff.com; www.educatorsoutlet.com; www.banksschoolsupply.com 
• DVD Player for Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome 

Check out the entire Wish List here.

Thank You, Virginia W. Hill Foundation

The Virginia W. Hill Foundation recently awarded Imagine! a $10,000 grant for Community Calendar Activities for kids enrolled in Imagine!’s Dayspring program. This is the Foundation's fourth grant to Imagine! in as many years, bringing the total to $28,000.

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.

Imagine!’s Dayspring Educational and Therapeutic Services offer occupational, physical, and speech/language therapies to babies and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities in their homes.

Dayspring’s Community Calendar Activities (CCA) program – now in its 15th year – is a valuable expansion of the early intervention therapies provided by the division. CCA brings children aged birth to three with developmental delays into a variety of recreational, educational, and fitness activities, free of charge. Dayspring’s Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Early Childhood Special Educator, Speech Therapist, and/or Mental Health Therapist work with the children and their parents to encourage motor, sensory, social/emotional, cognitive, and/or speech/language development.

CCA helps parents overcome the emotional and financial obstacles that might prevent them from accessing the variety of environments and activities so important to their children’s development during this crucial time. In addition, it provides important opportunities for parents to meet, interact with, and support one another.

This very special program is completely funded with donations -- from individuals, foundations, and local service organizations, which is why we are so thankful to the Virginia Hill Foundation and all of the supporters of CCA.

Below are some scenes from CCA’s “Messy Play Day,” an annual favorite featuring sensory fun for the entire family.

Thank You Thursday

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

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

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

Motorola Solutions Foundation – Imagine! Celebration ½ Gold Sponsor

Bronze ($1,000-$2,499)
Ball Corporation – Matching gifts

Supporter ($500-$999)
Google – Matching gifts

Associate ($250-$499)
Home State Bank

Friend ($1-$249)
Anonymous – Centre Stage, Out & About
B&M Electric – Centre Stage, Out & About
Ken Hackbarth
IBM
In Honor of Annabell McIntosh-Schwartz
  Marilyn McIntosh
Jackie and Rick Nelson
Thelma Whitaker

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:

• Recreation Center passes or punch cards for clients 
• Games for the Next Step 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 

Check out the entire Wish List here.

Imagine! Community Forum Set For Tuesday, March 31

You Are Invited to the Annual Imagine! Community Forum 

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 from 5:45-6:45 PM Aspen Family Services 450 Courtney Way, Lafayette, CO, 80026 

Do you have questions, concerns, or ideas about Imagine!? Then join us for our Annual Community Forum on Tuesday, March 31. Representatives from Imagine!’s staff and Board of Directors will be on hand to answer questions and receive input from families and local community members. Join us in person or by phone! Topics to be discussed include:

• The State of the State 
• Ending Waitlists in Colorado/Growth at Imagine! 
• Community Capacity Issues 
• Conflict Free Case Management and its Implications 

To attend in person: R.S.V.P. @ (303) 665-7789 To attend by phone: 1-877-668-4490 Access code: 573 659 219 (while listening in, you can view the slideshow presentation at http://imaginecolorado.org/online-multimedia-events)

To email your questions/comments in advance: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ImagineForum2015

Thank You Thursday

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

Platinum ($10,000+)
Linda and Walt Pounds

Friend ($1-$249)
David Chaknova
Jean and Charles Dinwiddie
United Way of Tri-County

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:

• Charcoal Grill for the Next Step 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 
• 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 

Check out the entire Wish List here.

Spread The Word To End The Word

Today is the annual Spread the Word to End the Word Awareness Day. Imagine!’s Innovations Advocacy Council would like to remind everyone that "Respect" starts with the words that we use on a daily basis.

The Innovations Advocacy Council understands that it is not always easy to stop using words that have become industry standards, but through the commitment of the people who provide services, the family members, and the individuals in services, a cultural change can occur.

The Power of a Word

Words can hold great power and it is through our words that we can potentially hurt or demean others. The council has created some alternative word choices to use:

• Instead of using “consumer” or “client,” use “individuals with disabilities” or “people with disabilities,” or better yet, refer to our individuals simply as people and/or individuals. 
• Instead of using the terminology “high-functioning/low-functioning,” try to explain the parameters of the situation. For example, instead of saying high-functioning, you could say that the person is independent in the community and requires minimal supports. Instead of saying low-functioning, you could say the individual requires additional assistance with daily living tasks. 
• Above all else, we should never use the R-Word. While everyone understands that this is an official diagnosis, there are other ways in which to express the diagnosis such as developmental disability or intellectual disability, and plain and simple, this word is offensive regardless if it is used clinically or not. 

For further information or to take the pledge, please visit the Spread the Word to End the Word official website.

Thank You Collins Foundation

Today we’d like to offer our thanks to the Collins Foundation for its recent grant of $2,000 to Imagine!.

The Collins Foundation was established by William Ray Collins and Ruth E. Collins for charitable, religious, and educational purposes and organizations within Boulder County, Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were residents of Boulder, and they were co-owners of a clothing and shoe store. Mrs. Collins died on May 22, 1978, and Mr. Collins died on June 11, 1981.

The Collins Foundation is managed by Wells Fargo Bank.

This is the 15th grant Imagine! has received from the Collins Foundation, with the cumulative total of their grants to Imagine! being $42,900! We are most grateful for their continued amazing support of our mission and of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Boulder and Broomfield counties.