Good News Friday!

Turning the dirt in the photo are, from left to right: Elaine Chavez, US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Jodi Walters, Imagine! Director of Innovations; Mark Emery, Imagine! CEO; Sam Taylor, Broomfield City Council Member; Dianne Primavera, Colorado State Representative; and Chris Mirto, PEH Architects.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking ceremony for Imagine!’s Next Step Group Home in Broomfield, CO.

The Next Step Group Home will provide safe and affordable housing for six people who have developmental disabilities as well as the multifaceted issues that come with aging. Individuals with developmental disabilities are living longer than ever, and as they age, their needs may become increasingly complex. In addition, with the “sliver tsunami” of retiring and aging baby boomers approaching, the demand for services for seniors is increasing rapidly. Imagine! is poised to be a leader in services for both the population of elders with developmental disabilities and the larger elder population. This home represents another step forward for Imagine! in developing the skills and tools needed to serve these populations.

The wide variety of attendees at the groundbreaking provided a clear demonstration of how an undertaking like this can truly only succeed with the support of the community. Attendees included: Trent Gustafson and Chuck Wellman, members of Imagine!’s Board of Directors; Mark Feilmeier, Dennis Thacker, and Elaine Chavez, from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (which is providing $633,700 in funding for the home); Broomfield City Council Member Sam Taylor; Colorado State Representative Dianne Primavera; Michele Craig, from the Colorado Department of Human Services Division for Developmental Disabilities; John McMillen from FRIENDS of Broomfield; and Michelle LaFluer, a neighbor to the West of the property who is also the owner of 2BG Equestrian School.

If it takes a village to build this home, then I am really impressed with the citizens of this particular village, and the group gives me great confidence about the future success of the project.

To learn more about this home and our groundbreaking, check out this story from yesterday’s edition of The Broomfield Enterprise.