2016 Imagine! Employees of Distinction

We’re delighted to inform you that the 2016 Imagine! Employees of Distinction have been selected.

This year there were close to 80 nominations this year, with many qualified candidates, so we should all be justifiably proud of our colleagues who have been nominated and selected.

Recipients of the 2016 Imagine! Employee of Distinction will be recognized in front of their peers at Imagine!’s Holiday Party, scheduled for Friday, December 2, at the Best Western Plaza Conference Center in Longmont, from 5:30-9:30 PM.

Can you recognize the eight 2016 Imagine! Employees of Distinction in the compilation image below?

Happy Thanksgiving and Thank You for Supporting Imagine!

On this day of thanks, Imagine! would like to say “thank you” to:

The people we serve: they inspire and teach us every single day.

Our employees: dedication and passion abound among staff members at every level of Imagine!. They are difference makers in the very best ways.

Our donors: the continued and generous support of those who contribute financially to our mission allows us to offer services above and beyond what our traditional (and frequently shrinking) funding sources allow.

Our volunteers: Imagine! volunteers share their time and talent directly with the people Imagine! serves and with projects of all sizes, increasing the quality of support and services we are able to provide.

Our community: we are so fortunate to live in a community that embraces the individuals we serve and the work we do. We couldn’t have reached the level of success we have without our community’s demonstrated commitment to an inclusive world.

You: whatever your association with Imagine! is, if you are reading this right now we thank you for your interest in creating a world of opportunity for people of all abilities.

Fantastic Five - Celebrating Five Years Of Volunteers At Imagine!: Zoe Polk

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!, we have been 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 we’re featuring Zoe Polk, who volunteers for Imagine!’s Out & About department. Thanks Zoe, for all you do for Imagine!.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

MOOV's Second Annual "Kettlebells For Charity" to Support Imagine!

MOOV is hosting its Second Annual Kettlebell Swing-a-Thon on Dec. 10, 2016, to raise money for Imagine!. Once again, the good folks at MOOV will be supporting Imagine! in this fun and challenging way.

Last year, our friends from MOOV raised over $4,150 for Imagine!, and we encourage you to help our friends reach their goal this year. MOOV tells us they’re going to add some flair this go round by changing up some of the rules and kettlebell movements. Details of this event are coming soon, so mark your calendars!

Learn more and sign up to participate here.

MOOV was born out of boredom with the normal gym experience and a love for functional fitness and alternative therapies, and was founded by a team of fitness enthusiasts who wanted more from their training. This event clearly demonstrates their creativity, in addition to their commitment to their community.

Imagine!’s 2015-2016 Annual Report

Imagine!’s 2015-2016 Annual Report is available online! Click on the image below to check it out.

Can’t see the image? Click here.

Imagine!’s Leadership Development Group Update: November 2016

Submitted by Jessica Gaylord

Imagine!’s 2016/2017 Leadership Development Group (LDG) is officially underway! As a group, we launched our experience by attending the 16th Annual Coleman Institute Conference on Cognitive Disability and Technology, and the ANCOR Technology Summit and Showcase in early October

These conferences host attendees from all over the US, and even outside of the US, but conveniently takes place at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield. Both conferences promoted the use of technology within our field. There was a lot of information to soak up, but between the two technology-filled days there are a handful of highlights we each took away from the seminars.

One of the speakers at the Coleman Conference was Richard Ellenson, CEO of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the father of a son living with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Ellenson and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation have created the “Just Say Hi!” campaign. This campaign focuses upon common misunderstandings associated with community interactions for people with disabilities and educates folks to “Just Say Hi!” when encountering someone with a disability. In fact, if you ask Siri how to talk to someone with a disability, she’ll tell you just how easy it is.

Most of the Coleman Conference focused on adaptive technology that people with disabilities use and what the future of technology might look like in the coming years. As many of you know, some of the challenges we face with technology implementation in our field are limited funding, limits in our knowledge of what’s available, and more often than we may want to admit, our limited vision to experiment and learn. One speaker pointed out that, “if you automatically think the person you care for is not capable of something, you will not look for ways to make them capable.”

It was very exciting for all of us to see that many of the technological advances that were being promoted at these conferences were technology tools Imagine! has been working with for many years. The conferences were excellent example of Imagine!’s leadership associated with technology that can be so easily experienced in our SmartHomes and other services. Here are some key takeaways that we’d like to share:

1. Technology has to be connected to natural supports.
2. Collaboration is key – technology should evolve with input from all team members who will help support the person and their technology.
3. Don’t design the technology first and then work to find someone to fit the function of the technology. Work towards fitting the technology to the person and their support needs.
4. Technology can be a valuable tool for independence. Therefore, the use of technology should always be assistive so that it is used to help someone achieve greater independence to achieve his/her goals.

One presenter living with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), who hosts her own podcast Tuesdays with Liz, said that, “although I was allowed to think about what I wanted to be when I was 15 years old, just like everybody else, I was the only one that wasn’t allowed to pursue their dream. People told me that I couldn’t be a doctor or a politician because I wouldn’t be capable.” It is so important, as Imagine! team members, that we continuously consider how we can advocate for the immediate and future needs of the individuals and families we support to promote access to information and technologies that promote leisure, social, vocational, and educational opportunities.

The world of technology is exciting, constantly evolving, and vast in its capabilities. The impact this can have on all people has been and will continue to be life changing. It doesn’t require an employee with Apple or Microsoft to make an impact. Technology derives from collaboration, innovation, and cultural influences that spark from a simple idea or dream. And everyone dreams!

We invite you to take a minute by clicking here to learn more about the Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access. You can read the document and add your name as a supporter of the Declaration.

Colorado Gives Day Is December 6

Colorado Gives Day is December 6, but you can preschedule your December 6 gift anytime after November 1!

By giving your support online through Colorado Gives Day, Imagine! will be eligible for a portion of the 1stBank and Community First Foundation incentive fund. You'll help people of all ages that we serves.

Click here to preschedule your gift to help us in creating a world of opportunity for all abilities!

Can't see the video? Click here.

Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award: November 2016

Nicole Jackson:

Recipient of the November 2016

Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award

 

Congratulations are in order for Nicole Jackson, who works for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source (CLS) department, on being selected as the November 2016 recipient of the Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Nicole was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

My main reason for nominating Nicole is because of a recent project she undertook that has been wildly successful. She is currently rejuvenating our Photography and Scrapbooking class and turning it into more of an internal newsletter class. The class focuses on teaching individuals to conduct interviews and practice interviews themselves. Students have applied these skills to real life interviews; one person specifically thanked Nicole for helping teach her how to interview as it helped her achieve an independent job! The newsletter focuses on one specific person in Supported Employment each month. The community-based class will go to one of our work sites and the participants will interview the managers of the facility as well as one person who works there. They then work together to create a page that highlights the individual accepting services and their job, which they share with the people at CLS. After receiving a copy of the newsletter that focused on their family member, one guardian sent us an email in response saying: "It is incredible her progress the past 2+ years... Thank you for everything you do with her and her housemates. Imagine! and Manhattan House have made her world a much better place. If you speak with her employer, please thank them from the bottom of my heart for giving her the opportunity to come out of her shell and shine." Nicole has brought a fresh, energetic, positive attitude to CLS. In a short time she has built strong relationships with the people we serve. Her efforts in the classroom expand beyond her own classes and she has made it clear that her aim at CLS is to create an environment where everyone can have fun and be successful.

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

Ukraine Volunteer Trip Fundraiser

Pictured above are Imagine! employees / Ukraine 2017 Project volunteers (left to right)
Wes Granger, Whitney Granger, Sarah Gumson, Chris Baumgart, and Chris DiRos

A group of Imagine! employees are planning a trip to the Ukraine to provide support to people with disabilities in the community, particularly family support and early intervention programs designed to prevent institutionalization. While the trip isn’t Imagine! sponsored, we are proud of their efforts to truly create a world of opportunity for all abilities. On Wednesday, November 9. From 4PM to 8PM they are hosting a fundraiser for their trip at Wibby Brewing. You can learn more about their trip by clicking here.

Five Years of Volunteers at Imagine!

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 volunteers we highlight will serve as a great representation of the many generous folks who so kindly give back to their communities.

This month we’d like feature Inna Chang, who has volunteered with Imagine!’s Out & About and Dayspring departments over the past few years.

Thank you, Inna, for all that you do for our community, and for Imagine!. Click on the video below to learn more about Inna and her experience

can't see the video, click here!