Fantastic Five - Celebrating Five Years Of Volunteers At Imagine!: Inna Chang

Did you know that Imagine!’s Volunteer Program officially began five years ago (of course, we had volunteers before, but it was a loosely organized effort).

To celebrate five years of volunteerism at Imagine!, over the next few months we are going to be sharing short videos highlighting five volunteers who have truly made a difference at Imagine!. Of course, choosing just five volunteers was very difficult – last year 379 volunteers donated 8,784 hours of their time to support Imagine!’s mission of creating a world of opportunity for all abilities!

We are grateful to them all, and hope that the five we highlight serve as a great representation of the many generous folks who so kindly give back to their communities.

Today’s video features Inna Chang, who has volunteered for Imagine!’s Out & About and Dayspring departments over the past few years.

Thanks Inna, for all you do for Imagine!.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Are you interested in volunteering at Imagine!? If so, click here.

Thanks, CU Leadership Residential Academic Program

This past Saturday, a group of 25 University of Colorado students spent some time at Imagine! cleaning our Out & About department’s fleet of vehicles. The students are part of CU’s Leadership Residential Academic Program (RAP). We are so grateful for the support that these wonderful volunteers shared with us last weekend! Below are some picture of these volunteers in action.

The 2016 CORE/Labor Source Art Show & Performance was a HUGE Success!

Thank you to all that helped make Imagine!'s CORE/Labor Source Art Show and Performance on Friday, August 12 such a HUGE success.

In case you missed it, here's an article from 303 Magazine that perfectly describes the art exhibition at the Dairy Arts Center. And good news - there's still a little time left to see the art - it'll be up until August 21st! The article gives some helpful pointers on taking it in. So please read the article, and then go check the art out in person, and maybe even purchase a piece or two.

In the meantime, enjoy some pictures that we took from the extravaganza!

Foster Care Open House w/ Imagine!'s Innovations for Children program

Save the Date of Thursday, September 15 from 4PM to 7PM for a Foster Care Open House with Imagine!'s Innovations for Children program.

You can learn more about our Innovations for Children program by visiting them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/innovationsnow.org/.

Imagine! CORE/Labor Source Artists At Boulder Market

Artists with Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department will be displaying and selling their original artwork at the Boulder Market in Central Park (between Broadway and 13th Street in Boulder) from 11:00AM to 5:00PM on Sunday, August 21.

We hope you can join us!

Two Upcoming Imagine! Events

There are two upcoming events hosted by Imagine! service departments which you are invited to attend.

Tomorrow:

Friday, August 12: Imagine! CORE/Labor Source Annual Art Show and Performance 

The CLS Annual Art Show and Performance is scheduled for Friday evening, August 12, at the Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, CO, 80302. The Art Show will begin at 6:00, with the Performance starting at 7:00. There is no charge to attend, but donations are appreciated.

Saturday, August 13: Imagine! Out & About Bike Block Party 

Out & About’s “Bike Block Party” is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, from 11:30AM to 2:30PM at Purple Park, 1310 S. Pitkin Avenue, Superior, CO, 80027. Out & About will have adaptive bikes and trikes to share with riders, lawn games, face painting, food, a raffle, and are working on sharing even more fun! This event is FREE, but donations to support Out & About’s efforts to create a world of opportunity for all abilities are greatly appreciated.

Behavioral Tip of the Month from IBHS

Here's a “Behavioral Tip of the Month” from Ania Young, Ph.D., BCBA with Imagine!'s Behavioral Health Services (IBHS).

This month’s tip is on giving effective instructions to children. One of the most important keys to avoiding inappropriate or problematic behavior is making sure that kids are understanding the message you’re trying to send. When it comes to parenting, sometimes the way instructions are given can be just as important as what you are trying to communicate.

Here are tips from Ania on presenting information to your children to make it more likely that they will hear you and be ready to succeed with your instructions.

1. Be direct. Make statements instead of asking questions. For example, say, “Please, sit down” rather than “Are you ready to sit down?”
2. Be close. Give instructions when you are near the child rather than calling out from across the room.
3. Be clear and specific. Instead of “Go ahead and get started…” say, “Please go start your math assignment.”
4. Give age-appropriate instructions. Speak to your child at a level he will understand. If your child is younger or has communication difficulties, keep things simple and use words you know he knows. With older children who are often aware of not being “babies” anymore, it’s important to be clear without being patronizing.
5. Give instructions one at a time. Especially for kids who have attention difficulties or trouble understanding because they have a communication deficit, try to avoid giving more than one instruction in a row. For example, avoid saying: “Pack your lunch, put on your shoes, and tell your sister to come downstairs.” Instead, tell the child to pack his lunch; wait until they finish completing it; then ask them to put on their shoes; wait until child finishes putting on their shoes; then give the last instruction to go find the sister.
6. Keep explanations simple. Giving a rationale can increase the likelihood children will listen to an instruction, but not if they get confused by too much information or the way it is presented. For instance, avoid saying this: “Go get your coat because it’s raining and I don’t want you to catch a cold.” Instead, try: “It’s raining and I don’t want you to catch a cold. Go get your coat on.”
7. Give kids time to respond to the instruction. After you give an instruction, wait a few seconds. Don’t repeat what you said. If you repeat instruction multiple times in a row, this may feel like nagging to a child. Children should learn to listen to calm instructions given once rather than learning that they don’t need to listen because the instructions will be repeated. Watching and waiting also helps keep adults from doing things for their kids.
8. Use frequent praise if the child complies with your instruction. Especially if the child tends to refuse a lot or the task is really difficult for them.

Team Building

Our team at Imagine!’s Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield recently gathered for an afternoon of team-building activities at Waneka Lake in Lafayette. They enjoyed a walk around the lake, and completed circuits at the numerous exercise stations that surround the lake.

Our Santa Fe team that works as part of our Innovations department wrapped the day with a nice lunch together as they discussed their teams goals as Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who work every day creating a world of opportunity for all abilities.

Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award: August 2016

Congratulations are in order for Marrisca Goscha, who works for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, on being selected as the August 2016 recipient of the Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Here is some information from Marrisca’s multiple nominations, which ably demonstrate why she selected as this month’s recipient:

“Marrisca knows which items clients like best without instructors needing to tell her, when to assist clients in the restroom without being asked, and is willing to sub on her day off when there is a need to fill. Marrisca is the type of person who will do things without being asked. Marrisca not only completes tasks that need to be done, she also takes the time to get to know the individuals we serve. From helping plan a client's birthday celebration to knowing what movie a client watched last week, Marrisca truly cares for our clients.”

“...even before becoming an instructor she was facilitating classes when needed. She would create interesting and meaningful activities that our clients always enjoy. Marrisca is passionate about her job, and has become a huge advocate for our clients. She starts the difficult conversations that need to happen to support our clients and to push our program to the next level. She is a great team member who works well with our entire staff to provide the best quality care possible.”

“...She goes out of her way to help clients in times of need and is a great and valuable team member to the rest of her staff. She strives to make CORE a great place for clients to be and you can see the compassion she has for others.”

“Marrisca is someone who embodies Imagine!'s values every single day. She brings an extremely positive and respectful attitude to work every day. She is eager to learn and provide the best service to the individuals we serve. Marrisca is comfortable coming to us as supervisors and asking good questions on a regular basis that demonstrate her willingness to accept constructive feedback and better the services that we provide. Her ability to ask quality questions when she doesn't know all the information she needs to act independently gives us confidence that she is able to provide the best customer service possible when oversight is low. Marrisca is someone who consistently interacts with individuals across imagine with the utmost respect. She is a true advocate for the rights of all and her calm and respectful demeanor adds a shining glow to the program!”

Great work, Marrisca, and congratulations on this well-deserved honor!