Donna Ups The Ante With Her Exercises

This blog post, including the photos and their captions, was provided to us by Chantelle Tweten, the Site Supervisor at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

In this session, Donna stood 11 times and used her ergometer for 10 minutes. 

While she was working on that exercise, a counselor brought Donna

the finished tie die shirt she made with Chantelle.

Donna is a rock star in helping out and taking care of herself!

Mandy Tells Us Why She Likes Writing Stories

This blog post came to us just a few minutes ago via an audio email from Mandy, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. Mandy is responding to a text email that was forwarded to her earlier in the day from an Imagine! employee who was commenting on Mandy’s blog post yesterday which included two poems she wrote.

Here is the comment that was passed along to Mandy. “Mandy’s poetry is wonderful. It’s concise and nicely descriptive, just what poetry should be. Is there a way that you could let her know that her readers really like her poetry?”

Hi Gary, I’m glad people are so amazed by my emailing. I really, really enjoy it and I like writing stories. It helps pass the time and it helps me get my mind off a lot of things. I will talk to you soon. I wanted you to know I received your message. Please write back. Thank you. Bye.

Poetry From CORE/Labor Source KGNU Radio Class

This blog post was provided to us by John Woodling.  John is a Day Habilitation Counselor in Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, and he sent a flash drive to us with lots of audio and video material recorded during a radio class.  Our thanks to KGNU for allowing CORE/Labor Source to use their facility as a base site and also allowing the class to use their equipment.  

The following two short poems were written and read by Mandy, who is one of the students in the radio class. Thanks to Ian and KGNU for helping us with this post (and more to follow).

And of course, thanks to Mandy for sharing her poetry with us.


The cupcakes are sweet
They are a treat.
They’re chocolate
And they melt in the heat.

____________________________________________________________________

The air is clear and clean
I see a beam
The river is noisy
But it sounds very keen.
I love it.

Rebecca Likes Her Chicken Spicy

This blog post was provided in person on President’s Day by Rebecca, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

I had a good weekend. On Saturday I went to Super Target in Louisville with Max (SmartHome counselor) and Mandy (housemate). After that I went to Michael’s and bought some canvas for painting. That was on East Baseline Road in Boulder at the Meadows Shopping Center. I went there with Phil (SmartHome counselor).

I also ate at 5 Spices. I like the hot, spicy chicken.

I’m going to the Shine Dance on March 1st. I want to have my hair done curly. We’re all going (SmartHome residents) and we’ll get dressed up.

Usually on Mondays I work at Rock Bottom Brewery and the Boulder Chop House on Walnut Street, rolling silverware into napkins. I also work at Free Waves counting screws and tires. I stack them. They are real screws and tires, not toys. That’s all for now.

Rebecca uses a Valentine's Day card she received to demonstrate how she reacts
to the hot and spicy chicken at 5 Spices restaurant.

John Cautions Us That The Roads Are Really Slick

This blog post was sent via an audio email from John, who is a resident of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

Hey, How are you? This is your friend JR speaking. It’s really slick on the roads so take your time. I know it’s going to be a bit tricky on the roads because it’s really icy out there.

I know that you are watching the weather (I hope), and I also have a new joke for you. "What do you call a deer with no eyes?"  The answer is “no idear.” One more is “How do you make a handkerchief dance?” The answer is, “Put a boogie on it.” Those are my two best jokes and I hope you understand them.

I’ll talk to you later, OK? Have a good night, stay warm.

This is John wearing a party hat at his housemate Gerald's birthday party two weeks ago.

Gerald Will "Go Fly A Kite"

This blog post was provided by Gerald and his housemate Rebecca who helped out with the interview with Gerald. He had a brand new kite on his lap, which as you can imagine, led to questions.

Last weekend, Gerald went to Pearl Street Mall with his primary counselor Whitney and his wife Donna. He bought a kite at the store “Into the Wind.” He is looking forward to having the chance to go to an open space, possibly North Boulder Park, to fly his new kite. We hope to get photos of that!

Gerald is looking forward to putting this kite into the air.

SmartHome Residents' Art Honors George Washington

Yesterday, on President’s Day, some of the residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, CO wanted to create an art project to honor our US presidents. Staff member Claudette Moloney helped Donna, Lana, and Rae create some pieces of art of George Washington, pictured below. They used markers, cotton balls, glue, and star stickers to create the art.

After supper, the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome weekly reading group was meeting to discuss George Washington and learn more about him.

After being told that this photo would be for an Imagine! Voices blog post,
Rae offers a hearty wave to everyone who reads the post.

Lana puts the finishing touches on her art of George Washington.

Donna shows her George Washington art.

This is Rae's finished art.

SmartHome Residents' Meeting Notes Show Insight

This blog post was provided to us by Mandy, who typed up the minutes to a recent meeting at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. In spite of the friendships and support the residents of the home share with one another, with eight people residing in the house, and as with any group of housemates, there will be issues. The residents choose to be proactive and have regular meetings where they can openly share concerns or suggestions with one another. These notes are from a house meeting on January 24th and provide a keen insight into the residents’ efforts to communicate effectively with one another.

“What we discussed in group last night.

We discussed some of the most effective ways that we as a house may be able to help one another communicate better. Sometimes one of us may be uncomfortable because they are unable, unsure, or maybe they don’t even know how to express how they are feeling or even whether they should speak out about how they are truly feeling. They may be afraid to tell us about how they are feeling.

In our last house meeting, we discussed certain questions that may be helpful for us to ask one another. If we notice that another client is feeling uneasy and uncomfortable, they taught us to be polite, calm, and ask if there is anything we can do for them and tell them that we care about them.”

Mandy at her computer in the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

Happy Valentine's Day From Rebecca

This blog post was submitted via an audio email by Rebecca, who is a resident of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, Colorado. In the background on the audio email, Rebecca’s housemate Chris can be heard offering support and encouragement to Rebecca.

Happy Valentine’s Day. I have nice housemates and friends over here at the SmartHome.

Princess Rebecca. Photo taken last week at her housemate Gerald's birthday party.

This is Chris at a recent dinner dance in Berthoud, Colorado.

Mandy Is Working On A New Story

This blog post was submitted via an audio email from Mandy, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. All of the residents at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome have access to and use audio emails to communicate with their friends.

I’m going to write a story. I’m working on it on my own computer. It’s about a girl that builds a city out of Legos. I will talk to you soon.

And Gerald, I hope you like your fire truck. (Note, for more on that, see yesterday's blog post with photos from Gerald's birthday party).

Mandy writing at her computer.

Gerald's Birthday Was A Great Party

Last Friday night, the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder was rocking to Beatles tunes while revelers enjoyed great food and wore handmade party hats (made by Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source artists) to help Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald enjoy his birthday. His birthday was actually Sunday, but Gerald had made plans to go to dinner with his wife Donna and his Primary Counselor Whitney, so the party was on Friday so many people could celebrate Gerald’s birthday. 

Our thanks to Site Supervisor Chantelle Tweten for providing us with these photos. 

One of the keys to a successful party is plenty of good food.

Gerald had told some people that if he could have one present for his birthday it would be a
fire truck.  His housemate Mandy made that wish come true.

Gerald's wife Donna helped him open his cards,
and Gerald seems quite pleased that this card had some money enclosed.

Lindsey's Bunny Art

These photos of Lindsey creating an art piece called “Bunny Art” were taken yesterday at her CORE/Labor Source art class. She replied with an enthusiastic “Yes” when she was asked if she wanted the photographer to email the photos to her mom and dad, which has already been done.

 For this piece of art Lindsey
 knew she wanted to use pastel colors.

Lindsey has reason to be proud of completing this piece of art.

Lana's Butterflies, Bees, And Funky Art

This blog post was sent via an audio email by Lana, who is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder. After receiving this email. we stopped by Lana's art class earlier today to get these photos. In the bottom photo Lana is gluing smaller pieces of art onto a larger piece of paper, what she calls her "Funky Art."  

Hi, This is Lana. I thought I’d give you an email. I’m doing butterflies and bees in art class. So anytime you want to come and look at my art, come on over. I’ll show you my flower one too. Talk to you soon, bye.

This is Lana's butterflies and bees art piece that she is still working on.

Lana was in the process of finishing up this piece of art this afternoon.
She calls it her "Funky Art."

Tessa Displays Her Art

These photos of Tessa with her art, and their captions, were sent to us by Katherine Smith, an Art Instructor for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department.



Tessa proudly presents her elephant drawing. Tessa learned about
different shading techniques to help make her elepant look extra 3D.



In this photo Tessa is projecting one of her drawings onto a large canvas.

Rest In Peace Our Friend Ted Shoffner

This blog post shares some sad news. Ted Shoffner, who received services from Imagine! for more than 25 years, passed away earlier this week. Ted was a pleasant, outgoing man who led an active life, working independently at Hoshi Motors for many years until his health deteriorated and he was unable to continue working.

In his younger years, Ted frequently hung out with employees of Imagine!'s Labor Source department after work, simply because he was so much fun to spend time with and he seemed to enjoy it. Ted had a wonderful host home provider, Danuta, for many years who we send our sympathy to. When we receive any information about a memorial service for Ted we will share that on this blog. Below are three photos of Ted.

Ted working at Hoshi Motors in Boulder.



Gerald Blossoming In Creative Writing Class

This blog post was sent via an email from Gerald’s Creative Writing Instructor, Meagan Rountree, who wrote,  "Below is a letter that Gerald wrote as well as a story he typed in creative writing class." 

Regular followers of this blog may recognize that it contains familiar material about Gerald's upcoming birthday (the January 18 and January 30 posts), but what is noteworthy, if not remarkable, about the three posts is that they all came to us through different channels.  The first post was given in person, with Gerald using his finger switch to activate his birthday message using his Dynavox computer.  The second post came to us via an audio email in which Gerald was interviewed by one of the staff members at his home and vocalized his responses.  This post came through an email, with the text typed by Gerald in his creative writing class.  Considering that Gerald went most of his previous 50+ years not being able to effectively communicate to people that his birthday is coming up, it sure is neat that he now has at least three different ways to do so.  

"In creative writing class we are working on different writing projects to send to the newsletter. This month, I’d like to send you some writing I did with my device about my upcoming birthday. Attached is my story as well as a picture of me typing it."
Sincerely, Gerald

My Birthday

By: Gerald Stopa

My birthday is February 10th. I will be 51 years old. I am excited to go out eat at The 3 Margaritas with Donna and Whitney. I will also be having a party at the (Bob and Judy Charles) SmartHome. I look forward to seeing my friends and celebrating birthday.


 Gerald is pictured here typing this blog post.



Bobbie Gets Backpack For 6 Years Of Employment

This photo of Bobbie was taken yesterday. She is proud of this backpack she received from Vitamin Cottage for being employed there for six years. Bobbie requested help from her support team to work more hours, and her self-advocacy has paid off. Beginning next week she will begin a second job at The Sink restaurant in Boulder where she will be rolling napkins (with silverware in them).  She asked if someone could come by and get a photo of her working at The Sink, so look for that photo in an upcoming Imagine! Voices blog post.

Bobbie recently told one of her supervisors with Imagine!'s CORE/Labor Source department, "Learning something new, making money, and being in the community are things that make me excited for my new job at The Sink.”