Good News Friday!

Today, I’d like to highlight some Imagine! employees who have been nominated for local and national awards honoring the best in Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).

Denise Welder, a Primary Residential Counselor at Imagine!’s Foothills Group Home, who was recently nominated for the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) Direct Support Professional Recognition Award. The national and state award winners of this prestigious award will be recognized at ANCOR’s Annual Conference, April 28-30, in Washington, D.C. Here is just a little of the information included in Denise’s nomination:

The most prominent example of Denise’s commitment and level of care is the relationship she has developed with Clara. Denise has served as Clara’s primary for almost 10 years now. Over those years, Denise has developed a close relationship with Clara. Clara does not have many family members left as she is 88 years old and her remaining family members are not very involved in her life. Clara is a very loving person who is always asking her peers and staff about their own families and asking for pictures of friends and family of her peers and staff. Nothing makes Clara happier than meeting family and friends of the people she knows and being made to feel she is part of a family. Denise has recognized how important this is to Clara, and over the last 10 years has adopted Clara as a member of her own family.



Denise Welder (right) and Clara

Denise takes Clara to her home for Christmas and Thanksgiving every year. Clara comes to her home and has dinner with her family on these holidays. She stays overnight at Denise’s house and opens presents with them. Denise’s children refer to Clara as their grandma. Clara’s room is filled with pictures of special memories with Denise’s family. When Denise’s daughter graduated from college last year, she asked that Clara be at the ceremony to share the special day with her family. Denise has taken Clara with her family on vacations to Disney World and to other Colorado vacations. She has made Clara a member of her family and fulfilled Clara’s life in immeasurable ways.

There is also a statewide DSP Award given by Alliance, a nonprofit, statewide association of Community Centered Boards (CCBs) and Service Provider Organizations (SPOs). Alliance will be recognizing its DSP of the Year on February 20 during their annual Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day at the state Capitol. Two Imagine! employees have been nominated for this honor: Alexa Schoeman, an Imagine! Out & About Class Facilitator, and Katherine Smith, and Imagine! CORE/Labor Source Art Instructor.

Here’s what was written about Alexa in her nomination:

Alexa Schoeman

In addition to possessing many valuable job skills and traits commonly found in DSP award nominees, Alexa has demonstrated remarkable planning and communication skills for the classes she teaches. At least one day before her classes, she sends out an email to the other instructors letting them know what activities the class will be working on, what materials they’ll be using, and seeking input from other instructors so that when the class participants arrive there is no down time discussing what’s going to done and why. Alexa’s communication is also extended to participants and their families. This allows them to have the opportunity to provide feedback and to know what skills the class is working on in case those skills can be transferred, discussed, and/or worked on in the home. Following is an excerpt from an email Alexa sent about an upcoming art class. “Some things to work on are discussing their subjects, their families, and what that means to them, scale (dad may or may not be drawn bigger than the dog, either is fine, it’s just something to notice), dexterity in use of materials (especially squeezing and drawing with glue), and, as always, communication with peers in sharing of materials. Also please be mindful of the glitter as it is super fun to play with, but it’s also expensive! A little bit goes a long way, and please try and shake the extra back into the containers.”

In the past month Alexa started facilitating a new class, “Healthy Living.” Based on conversations with participants and their families, Alexa saw that there was an identified need for a class that addresses healthier living styles, so she presented a plan to her supervisor and the class is off and running. Participants have the chance to customize their specific program by picking their favorite ways to get active and creating their own fitness goals while learning how to reach them. The group will tour a local grocery store to learn where the healthy foods are, and they are learning how to prepare healthy snacks such as ants on a log (peanut butter and raisins). Alexa also had the participants make a plate that shows what a healthy meal looks like with food group proportions and serving size, and the participants are using those plates at home. There is homework and each week Alexa sends home a slip of paper briefly describing the homework. 

Here’s what was written about Katherine in her nomination:

Katherine Smith

Katherine Smith is an art instructor for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, and brings to her work a creativity and a passion that is unmatched. In her time with CLS, Katherine has motivated her students to create fantastic works of art, and she has assisted them in sharing those works with the community. Katherine helped organize a live performance and art show at Boulder’s Dairy Center for the Arts that was attended by over 100 people, and has arranged for other community galleries to showcase her students’ work as well. She even coordinated with Imagine!’s administrative team to showcase art students' work at Imagine!’s offices – brightening our office walls while at the same time demonstrating in a very tangible way the many contributions individuals with developmental disabilities are bringing to their communities every day. Katherine's interactions with her students show a mutual respect, trust, and belief that they can do anything. Where one person might say a student has reached their maximum potential, Katherine pushes for more. One student entered her class drawing only single color straight lines, and is now creating elaborate mixes of colors and shapes. It is these small successes that Katherine and her students share pride in. I believe that Katherine truly embodies greatness in a Direct Support Professional and is a wonderful representation of what Imagine! has to offer.

Congratulations to Denise, Alexa, and Katherine, and good luck!