Miah and Bridget Dance Performance

This coming Sunday, Boulder Canyon Theater presents their Annual “Dance is for Every Body” showcase. Members of Imagine!’s Out & About program, Miah and Bridget, decided to meet up on their own time and create a dance number for this occasion. Read more to learn their story and come watch them perform! 

11/5/2017 
1-4pm (Miah and Bridget at 1:50pm)
Boulder Canyon Theater 

“Dancing is a part of me. I feel like I need it in my life,” said Miah. “Performing my talents is something I look forward to a lot.”

Miah and Bridget met through Imagine!’s Out & About activities. Bridget is a Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist and facilitates lesson plans and activities for the participants. Miah often attends these activities and one day, they discovered their shared passion for dance.

“Dancing is a passion I really want in my life. It’s something I feel strong in my heart,” said Miah.

For two months, Miah and Bridget met weekly to create and rehearse a dance number for the showcase at Canyon Theater. “The best part is that it’s been really collaborative,” said Bridget. “We’ve done a lot of back and forth, creating movement together, which has been equally challenging and a great part of the process.”

Bridget studied dance and therapeutic recreation at University of Iowa. “I did a lot of duet dance numbers in college, but recently I’ve been involved in bigger ensemble projects, and sometimes in the back helping with logistics. It’s been fun to come back to the spotlight and work with Miah.”


The same goes for Miah, she has been doing mainly ensemble performances with either Out & About or other groups. “I feel refreshed doing this duet. I feel blessed to be able to do this,” said Miah.

With a twist of modern and ballet dance steps, their performance is completely original. “Ballet is hard. It takes patience. It takes time. If you feel refreshed and relaxed, then you can do ballet,” said Miah.

“Bridget taught me new moves and it was cool to see a new perspective,” said Miah. “She also taught me a lot about myself and we created a connection.” After hearing that, Bridget nodded her head and said “yes, we built a friendship, and hopefully a partnership that will continue.”

Thank you, Miah and Bridget, for sharing your talents with us. Hope to see everyone there!

Richard Lowe: Recipient of the November 2017 Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award

Congratulations are in order for Richard Lowe, a DSP who works at Imagine!’s Santa Fe Group Home, and was selected as the November 2017 recipient of the Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Richard’s nomination included the following praise:

Richard goes above and beyond and cares about every important and every little detail with the residents over at Santa Fe. He also goes above and beyond as a team player, and knows when his teammates are struggling and will go out of his way to lend a helping hand. 

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

Provider Fair Wrap Up

Last week’s Imagine! Provider Fair was a huge success!

More than 50 providers were there to share information about their services, including:

More Maitri, Inc 

Sample Supports 

City of Boulder Parks & Recreation EXPAND 

Consultants for Children Inc. 

Loose Ends or Legacy 

Quality Life Services  

The Roost Training Center 

Team Select Home Care 

Hearts 'n' Hands Work Enrichment 

Colorado Choice Care Services 

Belk Model LLC 

Think Outside the Box Coaching 

The Developmental Disabilities Resource Center 

Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association 

The Child and Family Therapy Center of Denver 

Out & About 

SPECTRA Centers, Inc. 

Megan's Place, LLC 

GoldStar Learning Options 

Innovations 

Life Skills & Support 

Association for Community Living 

Colorado Community Health Alliance 

Dungarvin Colorado 

Divine Royal Care, LLC 

Ascent Mobility 

Parker Personal Care Homes 

Firefly Autism 

PASCO 

Overture 

Ignite Adaptive Sports 

Rocky Mountain Pathfinders 

Devereux Colorado 

The Wayfaring Band 

Aspire Autism
Community Link

Tanner Autism Services of Colorado 

Elevated Supports 

CAREPROX LLC 

Community Advantage 

P.A.L.S. 

Easter Seals Colorado 

Boulder Analysts 

Support, Inc 

Behavior Services of the Rockies 

Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services 

Continuum Autism Spectrum Alliance 

Denver Metro Respite Coalition Apex Caring Services 

Colorado Music Therapy Services 

Boulder Project SEARCH 

Evergreen Service Providers 

Angels Service LLC 

CORE/Labor Source 

Imagine! Behavioral Health Services 

More than 100 individuals and families attended to learn more about the service options available to them. Families told us:

“Got to get lots of info and meet folks.” 
“Very supportive staff, resourceful handout.” 
“Lots of vendors” 
“This was my first time attending and it was very worthwhile. Thank You!” 

Providers shared positive feedback as well:

“Organized, you fed us! Great facility.” 
“Nice to learn about other organizations in the community.” 
“Nice turnout! Nice having Imagine! staff stop by our table.” 
“The variety of services represented, good space.” 
“Very information focused, seemed collaborative.” 
“So many great companies helping the community!” 
“Great atmosphere. Thank You!” 

Thanks to all who attended, and special thanks to the many Imagine! staff members who worked so hard to make this an exceptional event.

October Collage

Each month, participants and employees of Imagine! submit photos to create a monthly collage. Below are October's submissions!

Christina, employee, takes a lunch break with her puppy on a sunny day in Colorado!

Despite the cloudy and cold weather, Atonement Lutheran Church (Boulder) volunteers to wash and clean vehicles in our Imagine! fleet. Thank you!

Jay, who lives at the Santa Fe Group Home in Broomfield, shows off a drawing he made using his iPad.

Kenny, who lives at the Manhattan Group home in Boulder, goes on an adventure to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Two of our very own employees are expecting this year. Their co-workers threw them a surprise baby shower!

Sandy, who accept services from Imagine!, earned 3rd place in a Horse Show at Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center (CTRC).


















Stefanie, who accepts services from Imagine!, and her host home provider, Clint, stretch the legs and go for a weekend hike.

Imagine!’s Early Intervention Rockstar: Carol Chesser

Imagine!’s Early Intervention (EI) program has a terrific team working to create a world of opportunity for all abilities. To show how much they’re appreciated, each month this team chooses a “Rockstar” within their program. Team members submit nominations describing what each nominee has contributed, going above and beyond to support those we serve.

We would like to recognize Carol Chesser as this month’s Rockstar.

Imagine! WayToGoTober Week 3 Update

Today marks the end of week three of WayToGoTober, and Imagine! is clearly committed to commuting smarter.

WayToGoTober is a whole month (10/1/2017–10/31/2017) dedicated to experiencing new, smarter ways to get around. Companies like Imagine!, with 100+ employees, have been challenged to get as many of their employees as possible to commute smarter at least once a week throughout October. Carpool, telework, vanpool, bike, walk, take the bus or transit – any way is a smart commute. Employees earn points for each one-way trip they take and track during October. The company with the most points wins!

Here’s some stats from Imagine!’s participation so far:

136 employees have signed up to participate.

1,014 alternative commute trips have been logged, totaling a distance of 10,273 miles.

46, 327 calories have been burned.

$3,468.84 has been saved.

2.9 tons of CO2 has been reduced.

Way to go Imagine! employees!

PS - Check out why Imagine! employee Scott has loved taking the bus this month.

   

 Can’t see the video? Click here. 

PPS - CBS4 in Denver interviewed Imagine! employees Wendy, Dawn, and Karen about Imagine!’s participation in WayToGoTober yesterday. We’ll let you know when the piece airs, but here’s some pics from the interview!

Becky Walks with Love

“We were half way through the course when we realized that we were on the wrong course. We decided there was no point in turning around and continued on.”

Becky Toliver, who accepts services from Imagine!, trained for the one mile course at the 25^th annual Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Denver. She partnered with Kelli, a friend from church and former Jazzercise instructor, to prepare for the mile long walk.

“At first we were like ‘oh wow,’ because we didn’t realize where we were.” Becky walked with Kelli and her husband, Roy, during this big event. “It sure felt like more than a mile, but we looked forever and saw all these people still walking,” said Roy. “We asked someone and they told us we were on the 5k route.”

“Once we realized where we were, we said to ourselves ‘let’s do it, let’s finish the 5k,’” said Becky. “It wasn’t funny at the time, but once we finished, it was a great accomplishment.”

Becky works for Real Capital Solutions in Louisville, CO, and walked in their name on the day of. “I had so much support from family, friends, and co-workers.” Near the end of the walk, Kelli walked ahead of Becky and Roy to let the cheerleaders and Becky’s friends know that she was on her way. Everyone, including the president of Real Capital Solutions, cheered “Becky! Becky!” or "Turbo Toliver!" as she crossed the finish line and walked 2.2 miles more than she trained for.

Becky felt this was an important walk so that she could honor the loved ones in her life who have battled or are battling cancer. The race was longer than she expected and still, turned out to be a great day! She and Kelli continue to meet on the weekends to walk and stay fit. 

Becky (right) walks with her friend and trainer
at Race For The Cure in Denver. 

Becky and her husband, Roy.

                 

Imagine!'s Innovations Super Hero of the Month: Hope Cardoza

Every month, Imagine!'s Innovations department presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing 
• Effective and Efficient 
• Respect and Dignity 
• Opportunities 
• Integrity 
• Care 

This month, the award was presented to Hope Cardoza, who is a Residential Counselor II at the Santa Fe Group Home.

Hope was nominated by her Site Supervisor, who wrote:

What I have noticed about Hope is her willingness to look for things to do when she has downtime. Hope is always busy and working on tasks that are often difficult to get done during the day, like washing the client’s windows or organizing the Tupperware, which is a never ending job. It appears that she has a very good rapport with all of the individuals in the house and fellow staff members. Her actions show me she is truly here to help the individuals at Santa Fe each and every day she works.

Imagine! WayToGoTober Week 2 Update

Today marks the end of week two of WayToGoTober, and Imagine! is crushing it! 

WayToGoTober is a whole month (10/1/2017–10/31/2017) dedicated to experiencing new, smarter ways to get around. Companies like Imagine!, with 100+ employees, have been challenged to get as many of their employees as possible to commute smarter at least once a week throughout October. Carpool, telework, vanpool, bike, walk, take the bus or transit – any way is a smart commute. Employees earn points for each one-way trip they take and track during October. The company with the most points wins!

Here’s some stats from Imagine!’s participation so far:

129 employees have signed up to participate.

674 alternative commute trips have been logged, totaling a distance of 6,664 miles.

24,720 calories have been burned.

$2,229.66 has been saved.

1.8 tons of CO2 has been reduced.

Way to go Imagine! employees!

Imagine! Case Management Unsung Hero: Sally Haefling

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 go above and beyond to support those we serve.

We would like to recognize Sally Haefling as this month’s Case Management Unsung Hero.

“I worked on an enrollment case with Sally which turned out to be a quite complicated and messy situation. It was visible how much Sally truly cared for this individual and she went above and beyond to advocate for her. Sally not only spent hours on the phone talking to Adult Protective Services and the police, she also increased her monitoring visits and continued to work closely with difficult parents to ensure this individual was safe. While the system can sometimes be frustrating to work with, it is refreshing to see a case manager with such kindness and who is willing to go above and beyond.”

Imagine! WayToGoTober Week 1 Update

Today marks the end of week one of WayToGoTober, and so far Imagine! is crushing it! 

WayToGoTober is a whole month (10/1/2017–10/31/2017) dedicated to experiencing new, smarter ways to get around. Companies like Imagine!, with 100+ employees, have been challenged to get as many of their employees as possible to commute smarter at least once a week throughout October. Carpool, telework, vanpool, bike, walk, take the bus or transit – any way is a smart commute. Employees earn points for each one-way trip they take and track during October. The company with the most points wins!

Here’s some stats from Imagine!’s participation so far:

124 employees have signed up to participate.

325 alternative commute trips have been logged, totaling a distance of 3,485 miles.

2,195 calories have been burned.

$984.03 has been saved.

.09 tons of CO2 has been reduced.

Way to go Imagine! employees!

Here’s how employees Britt and Haley are participating:

 Can’t see the video? Click here.

Donna and Gerald 8th Anniversary

Longtime participants in the Imagine! community, Donna and Gerald, celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary last month. To honor this special occasion, they spent time together and dined at Chili's. While enjoying each other's company, Donna reflected on her marriage and said "I have been looking forward to having a companion my whole life, and now I have one. It is wonderful."

Congrats you two! Thank you for sharing your story and joy with the Imagine! community!

Imagine! 2017 Provider Fair Set For October 19

You are invited to the Imagine! 2017 Provider Fair

Please join us for this exciting opportunity to connect with providers and community agencies, learn about available services, and network with other clients and families.

When: Thursday October 19, 2017
Where: Imagine!’s John Taylor Conference Center, 1665 Coal Creek Drive, Lafayette CO 80026  
Time: 4:00pm to 7:00pm

We anticipate having 50 service providers at the fair, including individuals who contract with Imagine!, Program Approved Service Agencies (PASAs), Home Health Agencies, and community organizations offering direct services and supports.

Imagine! Eligibility Specialists, our Intake Team, and Case Managers will be on hand to answer questions.

No RSVP required.

Click here for more information and FAQs.

Patrick Scott: Recipient of the October 2017 Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award

Congratulations are in order for Patrick Scott, who works for the Imagine! IT department and was selected as the October 2017 recipient of the Imagine! Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Patrick’s nomination included the following praise:

Over the last month, Patrick has provided significant help to the Boulder CORE/Labor Source site, and has been a critical element in our myEvolv rollout. Patrick has dedicated a good deal of time and effort ensuring that our laptops and computers were properly functioning for the rollout, and has been nothing but kind and accommodating along the way. It may seem a small thing, but Patrick’s efforts ensured our program continued to function smoothly through the transition, enabling our team members to keep their focus on services. 

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