“I’m Bella Larsen and I am on the Imagine! Board of Directors. I also receive services from Imagine!. Lots of my friends get services from Imagine! too. I love Imagine! because they help me and my friends. I also love that I get to meet new people and make new friends. Thank you for coming tonight and I hope that you spend lots and lots of money. Thank you for supporting Imagine!.”
After asking her how it was speaking in front of 500 people, she laughed and replied, “That was a lot of people! It was good.”Bella grew up in Boulder, CO and starting using Imagine! services when she was a little girl. Bella has grown up to be a wise, caring, and generous member of her community, constantly looking for ways to give back. She sees her position on the Imagine! Board of Directors as a way to represent people with disabilities. “Some people I know are non-verbal and can’t say what they’re feeling, so I help by representing them the best I can,” said Bella.
Joining the Board of Directors is an accumulation of her charitable lifestyle. Bella also volunteers at the Boulder Humane Society. “I love it,” said Bella. “It’s like my second home because I know everybody, they’re like family.” Bella helps with laundry, dishes, socializing the dogs, and also at big events. She partnered with the Humane Society ever since middle school, attending volunteer shifts with her mother. As she got older, Bella starting helping out on her own. She has logged over 500 volunteer hours with the Boulder Humane Society.Bella lives a healthy lifestyle by infusing sports and fitness into her routine. When she was younger, her father would drive her to hockey practice in Littleton. After five years of commuting to south of Denver every week, Bella’s father helped launch the Colorado Ice Wizards, who now operate out of the YMCA in Lafayette. Bella brings her charitable personality to the hockey team as well. “My dad encouraged me once to get on the ice and help the newer players,” said Bella. “So I try to help them whenever I can.”
She recently traveled to Toronto, Canada, participating in the 25th annual Special Hockey International Tournament. Four days straight on the ice, Bella breathed, ate, and slept hockey. During the final game, Bella scored a goal.
The hockey season concluded this month, but the off-season just means the sports carousel will oscillate to the next activity. She belongs to the EXPAND swim team in Boulder, will compete in a Special Olympics Regional Competition in April, and run the BolderBoulder in May. “My grandpa was in the Air Force, so I do the BolderBoulder for him (on Memorial Day).”Last but not least, another bullet point on Bella’s busy schedule is her job. She works at The Roost in Lafayette, a training center for individuals with developmental disabilities. Bella is part of their co-op program, learning vocational skills and earning a profit at the same time. She is looking into a second job at a retirement home, which would allow her to continue helping others and apply the job skills she is learning at The Roost.
Bella was an easy choice to speak at the Imagine! Celebration because of her kind and personable character. She is honest and genuine, all while seeking the good in people. We are lucky to have Bella a part of the Imagine! community and her ongoing support. Thank you, Bella, for all you do in the community, creating a world of opportunity for all abilities!
I just what to thank Imagine for all there work
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