Good News Friday!

As the end of the year approaches, I thought it would be a perfect time to share a recap of some of Imagine!’s recent accomplishments. The information below is from Imagine!’s 2012-2103 Annual Report.

During fiscal year 2012-2013 – our 50th year of service to the community – Imagine! coordinated care for a total of 2,590 individuals with developmental disabilities or delays throughout Boulder and Broomfield Counties, helping them to access and contribute to their community.

Imagine!’s Family Support division:

• provided information and referrals to services to more than 1,400 families providing at-home care of a person with a developmental disability. 
• provided financial support to the families of 55 children with extraordinary needs arising from developmental and physical disabilities who were waitlisted for Medicaid-funded services. 
• helped parents of 58 children with autism spectrum disorders to select and pay for services such as psychological counseling, social skills coaching, and behavioral therapy. 
• helped caregivers of 197 individuals with developmental disabilities living at home to pay for the services and supports that were most important to their families, such as respite care, medical or dental care, therapies, or devices to help the individual with special needs function better at school or work.

Imagine!’s Out & About division:

• helped 41 school-aged children with developmental disabilities to learn vital socialization skills to help them to participate more fully in society, while affording their parents the peace of mind that comes with safe and appropriate childcare during work hours, through after school, summer camp, and school closure day programs. 
• promoted the safety, growth, and development of 122 local adults with developmental disabilities by enabling them to participate in special outings and activities in the community. 

Imagine!’s Behavioral Health Services division:

• provided comprehensive mental health services to 220 individuals with dual (mental illness/developmental disability) diagnoses. 
• provided a broad range of behavioral health services to 86 individuals, and educated their parents and caregivers about ways to build cooperative behavior. 

Imagine!’s Early Intervention and Dayspring divisions:

• helped 908 babies and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays to improve their communication, motor, and/or social skills. 

Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source division:

• provided job training, placement, coaching, and supervision for 131 adults with developmental disabilities. 
• fostered the growth, development, and safety of 265 adults with developmental disabilities through enriching and therapeutic day programs and classes. 

Imagine!’s Innovations division:

• supervised foster placements and care for 40 children whose special needs could not be met by their birth parents. 
• provided a variety of residential services – responsive to individual needs and capabilities – to 195 adults with developmental disabilities. This number included 21 individuals who required round-the-clock, hands-on staff supports. 

The community’s generosity was especially important to a number of Imagine!’s efforts over the past year. During our fiscal year 2013, with support from foundations, corporations, individuals, municipalities, churches, and community groups, we enhanced the therapies provided to 123 babies and toddlers with developmental delays with 78 Community Calendar Activities (music, play, and fitness activities in a range of settings, led by experienced therapists). Through Family Support Grants we helped 60 families in Broomfield and 139 families in Boulder County to pay for the extraordinary costs of caring for a person with special needs in the family home. We provided limited financial assistance to help 41 individuals with developmental disabilities meet urgent or extraordinary needs not covered by Medicaid or other funding sources through our Case Management Emergency Fund. We prepared to break ground on a new residential facility – the Next Step Group Home – which will allow six low-income seniors with developmental disabilities to live in an integrated community setting while receiving specialized care that would otherwise be available only in a nursing home. Residents of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder and the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont (the first residential facilities in the nation to use technology in a comprehensive way to improve clients’ independence and self-sufficiency) continued to flourish and engage with their community through work, creative pursuits, and increased self-reliance.

Thank you to the Imagine! staff members who worked so diligently to make all of the accomplishments listed above happen. Thanks also to the many, many generous and supportive community members who do so much to help us meet our mission every year.