Good News Friday!

Today, I’d like to share good news about two Imagine! employees who have been nominated for prominent awards based on their stellar work and commitment to the individuals we serve.  

Isaac Marin, Assistant Site Supervisor at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont, was recently nominated for an Alliance Direct Support Professional of the Year Award. The winner of this award will be announced Wednesday, February 19, at Alliance’s Awareness Day for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities at the Denver Art Museum. We found out earlier this week that Isaac is one of five finalists for the award! Below is information from his nomination that demonstrates why he was nominated for this prestigious award.

Isaac Marin (left), seen here being honored with a "Hero Award" from Charles Family SmartHome site supervisor Chris DiRosa, has been nominated for a prestigious Alliance Direct Support Professional of the Year Award.

Isaac Marin has been a Direct Support Professional with Imagine! since 2008. At that time, Isaac worked at a group home where five adolescent boys in the foster care system lived. The residents at the home frequently had a difficult time managing their behavior, and helping them to find replacement behaviors for intrusive, dangerous outbursts was on ongoing issue. One of Isaac’s coworkers commented that during outbursts by the residents, Isaac’s calm yet firm demeanor was instrumental in helping the residents successfully redirect themselves. Isaac also made himself available to his coworkers to help them process what had occurred when things calmed down. His positive attitude helped his coworkers to recognize that their efforts were valuable.

Another piece of this story is that Isaac made one of the foster children in the house his apprentice carpenter. This resident had many skills with carpentry, along with a genuine interest in that sort of work, but due to his behavioral challenges, he had not been successful with obtaining or maintaining employment. As Isaac’s apprentice, he learned valuable job skills in a safe, controlled environment, making minor repairs at the group home. The consumer, who is now a young adult, is able to include on his resume that he has experience as an apprentice carpenter because of Isaac.

Isaac currently works at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. His supervisor, Chris DiRosa, said, “Issac has been an incredible resource to those he serves at the home. Isaac ensures that doctor appointments, adaptive technology usage, and direct care needs are accomplished in an above and beyond manner. Isaac regularly coordinates and completes extra community outings and constantly meets emotional and friendship needs along with direct care needs. One of Isaac’s strong suits is that he encourages independence and helps those he serves by helping them help themselves in tasks and responsibilities that residents are able to complete.”

During the flood in September, there was a weekend where a lot of things went wrong with staffing at the house and Isaac did an exceptional job with helping in any way that he could to get staff to cover shifts and to be proactive with covering the house.

Isaac’s most recent noteworthy effort was just a month ago when he missed attending a Denver Broncos game against the San Diego Chargers that he had a ticket for, due to a direct care immediate need. He wasn't scheduled to work, but he went ahead and helped a co-worker take a resident to a seating/wheelchair appointment in Englewood. The appointment went far past the scheduled time frame and when they got back to the group home, it was too late for Isaac to attend the game. And Isaac handled this with grace and good cheer. Once again, Isaac placed his service to others above his own plans. Isaac is a great asset to the team, and an example of fantastic servanthood to the community we serve.

Anthony, who lives at the house told us, “I like Isaac, he’s funny.” 

Isaac summed up his outlook on being a Direct Support Professional by saying, “I really enjoy what I do..........I love it.” 

And Kelsey Young, who works for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, was recently nominated for an ANCOR Direct Service Professional of the Year Award. We expect to hear an announcement on the winner of this award soon. Below are various quotes from her nomination that indicate why she was selected for this esteemed national honor.

Kelsey Young (r) has been nominated for an ANCOR National Direct Support Professional of the Year Award. She is pictured here with John, who receives services from Imagine!.

Kelsey was instrumental in the successful job training of a student who is enrolled in the Project Search Job Internship Program. This student now works in the business office at Boulder Community Hospital at a job requiring accuracy and close attention to detail. The job training was difficult, but from the start Kelsey showed her enthusiasm and energy. She wrote detailed job task analyses for a step by step learning process for this student. Kelsey became aware that this student was having difficulty with low self-confidence and was hard on herself when she made any errors. Applying creative energy and compassion, Kelsey was able relate to this student's particular learning style. Kelsey's positive attitude and cheerful manner created an effective learning environment for this student and boosted the student’s morale. This student is now working independently and performing detailed tasks such as filing secondary claims and preparing certified mail.

The people we serve ask about Kelsey regularly and want to know what day(s) she is scheduled to work with them. They thank her multiple times a day. Kelsey’s supervisors report that they consistently have class supervisors request for her to be in their classes because they know that with her in the room there will be nothing left undone. Kelsey has taken the time to develop personalized nicknames and handshakes for the people she works with that help them to know they are respected as individuals. She takes advantage of transportation time in the company cars to develop relationships with the people we serve. (by empowering them to work out a fair system of who gets to sit in the front seat or what radio station to listen to). R.S., a consumer, said he appreciates that Kelsey takes the time to listen and understand a situation before reacting.

Kelsey uses role modeling as a way to be an advocate. When in the community with people we serve, Kelsey demonstrates how to respectfully interact with them. It’s almost like she’s in a theater performance only she uses smiles and a quiet, calm voice instead of commanding attention. It would be easy for a community member to think that Kelsey is out with a brother or sister because of the reverent way she treats the people we serve. She facilitates successful, community involvement by being attentive to the body language of non-verbal consumers, and listening intently to the concerns of those who are able to voice them. Just last week I observed Kelsey at the bowling alley during a class, and although the environment was crowded and over-stimulating, Kelsey kept everyone focused on either bowling or cheering on others who were bowling.

When the floods recently swept through Colorado, although her home was deluged with flood waters and it would have been understandable for her to try to salvage her personal belongings, Kelsey braved the roads to help out her colleagues in a tight spot. Our employees displaced by the flooding were allowed to be paid by using sick time, including sick time donated by coworkers, but Kelsey sought out ways to help others. She found out that the staff at this home had worked many hours without relief so she went there. When asked what was most rewarding about this, Kelsey said, “Seeing the look on the face of the staff who knew he could finally go home, and the cheerful greetings of the residents I know.” She not only cared for the consumers but also helped to rid the basement of four feet of water using buckets and vacuums.

Congratulations Isaac and Kelsey, and good luck! I’m honored to work alongside of both of you.