Imagine! Explained In Infographics

Today, we’d like to share some infographics about Imagine!, the people we serve, and our impact. You can learn more about us by checking out our most recent Annual Report by clicking here.

Case Management Unsung Hero: December 2016

Case Management Unsung Hero
Submitted by Meagan Rountree

Imagine!’s Case Management department works with many great people. To show how much they are all appreciated, each month they choose an “Unsung Hero” within the department. Case Managers, support staff, and Case Management supervisors all put in nominations describing what the person has contributed to Case Management to go above and beyond to support those we serve.

For December, we’d like to recognize Meg Pickins as this month’s Case Management Unsung Hero.

Below is some information which shows why Meg was selected as this month’s recipient by our Case Management team:

Recently a person accepting services from Imagine!, for whom Meg serves as their Case Manager was experiencing a great deal of personal difficulty requiring increasing levels of emergency respite, which eventually lead to a request for placement at the regional center. Meg worked tirelessly throughout this difficult situation to make sure that her client’s unique personal needs were not lost through the process. This is just one example of Meg’s professionalism serving the interest of everyone on her caseload, and in creating a world of opportunity for all abilities.

When you see Meg please congratulate her for her hard work and dedication!

Happy Holidays From Imagine!

The Holiday spirit is alive and well at Imagine!. In the last few weeks leading up to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year we’ve had office decoration contests and dessert making contests, and every part of Imagine! seems to be fully embracing the season. Pictures below include celebrations from our Case Management team, our Innovations team, our Santa Fe Group home, our Charles Family SmartHome, and our CORE/Labor Source team. And yes, there are a lot of pictures, but there’s a lot of Holiday spirit to share. I hope you enjoy the pictures and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Imagine!’s Leadership Development Group Update: December 2016

Imagine!’s 2016 / 2017
Leadership Development Group Update
Submitted by MacKenzie Haering

During a meeting last month, Imagine!’s Leadership Development Group (LDG) asked, “Why do some teams thrive, while others flounder?” To ensure that our team works together as successfully as possible, we spent a night asking and answering the question above.

Pictured above (left to right) are Kathryn Craig, Jessica Gaylord,
Cameron Navis, Alicia Burdick, and MacKenzie Haering 

To help us get off on the right foot, LDG member Alicia Burdick’s mother, Beverly Kingston, Director at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, facilitated a meeting called “True Colors.” True Colors is a personality test designed to help people better understand their unique personality traits, as well as the personality traits of others. This test revealed that everyone in the group had traits in common; we all were identified as compassionate, accepting, and caring. These characteristics help each of us in our professional roles as we work towards creating a world of opportunity for all abilities. Although we have similarities, we also have distinct differences. For example, some of us are spontaneous-risk takers, while others are more structured and methodical, and some were described as analytical fact seekers.

To help us work effectively together, we identified a list of Norms to help promote productive, harmonious meetings, and an inclusive environment in which each of us would be valued.

The Norms that we identified focus upon:

• Individual check ins – to practice active listening
• Develop clear structure and goals
• Identify a weekly team leader; the team leader creates a weekly LDG agenda
• Be vulnerable, share your story
• Share your strengths, and support others with their vulnerabilities
• Have fun

The True Colors meeting helped our team become more inspired and connected. We now feel as though we are working towards a common goal – to support one another through this journey of leadership development.

Fantastic Five - Celebrating Five Years Of Volunteers At Imagine!: Patrick McCue

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!. 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’re featuring Patrick McCue, who has volunteered with Imagine!’s Out & About (O&A) department over the past several years.

Thank you, Patrick, for all that you do for our community and for Imagine!. Click on the video below to learn more about Patrick and his experience as an Imagine! volunteer.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award: December 2016

Christine Welker:
Recipient of the December 2016
Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award

Congratulations are in order for Christine Welker, who works for Imagine!’s administrative team, on being selected as the December 2016 recipient of the Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Here’s some information from Christine’s nomination, which ably demonstrates why she was selected as this month’s recipient:

“You never get a second chance to make a great first impression.”

When Christine is at the reception desk of the Dixon building, every person who walks through those front doors experiences what a great first impression looks like.

Her warm smile greets employees and visitors as they arrive. She is quick to offer assistance or if no help is needed, engages in friendly conversations with our visitors. I sit upstairs and often walk down the hallway overlooking the lobby where I can observe her work firsthand. I can feel the positive energy radiating from her desk as she answers the phone, escorts our visitors throughout the building, or shares jokes with colleagues. If the lobby is quiet, she is busy organizing the cabinets in her work area, sorting mail, or working on some other task. It is apparent to all that she is a hard worker.

Christine seems to genuinely enjoy her work at Imagine! and this comes through in all of her interactions. Every time I’ve reached out to Christine for something, she has handled the request in a timely manner with great attention to detail. When the task is complete, she will still ask how she can be of further assistance. In addition to the high quality of her work, Christine is a lovely human being. She is kind, funny, smart, and thoughtful. I sincerely enjoy her company as a peer.

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

Introducing the 2016 Imagine! Employees of Distinction

Today, we'd like to introducing the 2016 Imagine! Employees of Distinction.

Each year we ask all employees to submit nominations for Imagine! employees who exemplify the mission, values, and principles of Imagine!, who inspire the individuals we serve to be their best, and who perform over and above every expectation anyone could have of them.

This year, we received 79 Employee of Distinction nominations for a total of 39 people. So it is fair to say that even among the talented and dedicated crowd of Imagine! employees, the 2016 honorees truly stood out.

Laura Ball, Andee Bauer, Shannon Bundy, Anh-Hong Huynh, Maria Klickna, Brodie Shultze, Victoria Thorne, and Scott Wendelberger were all identified by their coworkers as employees who go above and beyond even the above and beyond we see every day at Imagine!. Their recognition is well deserved, and we are honored to call them our colleagues.

Check out the video below to learn a little more about these exceptional Imagine! employees.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Thank You Colorado Gives Day Donors

Colorado Gives Day was on Tuesday, December 6, and we are so thankful to you, our wonderful donors! On that day of giving, Imagine! received 140 donations totaling $28,570! That number is before we receive a portion of the incentive fund, meaning yesterday’s gifts will go even further in creating a world of opportunity for all abilities.

Overall, #CoGivesDay raised $33.8 M for worthy organizations across our state, a great demonstration of just how generous the citizens of this state really are!

Can't see the video? Click here!

Autsim Society of Boulder County Education Committee Public School Survey

The ASBC Education Committee is currently gathering information from parents, via survey, on their experiences in the local school districts (BVSD and SVVSD). What we want to know is what things are, and are not, working for your children at school.

Right now, we have a real opportunity to affect policies that are implemented at all schools. Members of our Education Committee are meeting with members of the school boards of both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts. If we can attend those meetings with data from the hundreds of families who have a child with autism receiving public education, we will have a much stronger position during these conversations. The survey is completely anonymous and data will only be presented as aggregates. Help us find out what the most common issues are for families so we can present them to the people who can make a difference.

We recognize that what we are unable to capture in this survey are the experiences of families who--out of necessity, frustration, etc.--have pulled their kids from public schools and are either home-schooling them or have placed them (or the districts have placed them) in private schools or centers. That information is extremely important and useful as well. Should you wish to share your story with school board members (again, this would be anonymous), then please send an email directly to the Education Committee at education@autismboulder.org.

Be sure to use this updated link to participate in the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWN2HNG.

Colorado Gives Day is today!

#CoGivesDay is today!


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 help us in creating a world of opportunity for all abilities!

Can't see the video? Click here.

ImagiNe!ws

The December 2016 edition of the ImagiNe!ws is now live!

2017 Jack Ferrigno Send a Kid to Camp Scholarships Open December 1

We are happy to announce the Jack Ferrigno Send a Kid to Camp Scholarships are opening on December 1, 2016. Last year, we increased the number of camp scholarships awarded to over 65! As we begin the fifth year of funding camp opportunities for the Boulder and Broomfield county autism community, we must recognize the three people who started it all. Thank you to Brett Smith of the Post Brewing Company, John Ferrigno, and Kelly Straub for their vision of creating the camp scholarship program and their fundraising efforts to sustain it each year. We are honored that they share Jack's memory with us to help other kids like him on their journey with autism.

The Jack Ferrigno Send a Kid to Camp Scholarship 2017 Guidelines:

• Application open Dec 1, 2016 - May 20, 2017 or until funds are depleted.
• Families will be notified of approval 3 weeks after application submission. ASBC will not expedite approval process for camps that begin within the 3 week window.
• Recipients will request invoice is sent from camp to ASBC for funds. Mail invoices to P.O. Box 270300, Louisville, CO 80027 or email to info@autismboulder.org.
  
• Checks will be sent upon receipt of invoice from provider. Please have provider reference scholarship # from your email notification of approval. Failure to provide reference number may delay payment.
• No checks sent before Jan 1, 2017.
• One scholarship per individual for one provider up to $500 (no exceptions) • Submit online application from ASBC website http://www.autismboulder.org/asbc-grants/send-a-kid-to-camp-scholarships.
• ASBC must be the recipient of ANY partial or full refund.
• ASBC has permission to contact camps and verify attendance.
• Funds may be used for recreational activities provided in 2017 – call ASBC at 720-272-8231 if you have questions about types of requests that will be approved.
• Expenses for family members or travel will not be approved.
• Recipients must live in Boulder or Broomfield counties and/or attend school in BVSD, SVVSD or Boulder/Broomfield counties.
• Recipients must have an ASD diagnosis.
• Recipients may submit pictures and testimonials to be used in ASBC promotional materials including Facebook, website, display materials at fundraisers.

Please contact us at 720-272-8231 or info@autismboulder.org with any questions or concerns. Click here to view guidelines on our website. Application will become available on December 1, and close on May 20, 2017 or when the funds are depleted.