50 Years, 50 Stories - Bethany Roberts

This week’s installment of “50 Years, 50 Stories” comes from Bethany Roberts. Bethany holds a unique view of Imagine! and what we do. Her mother, Kim Holman, has worked for Imagine! for close to twenty years. And Bethany also worked for Imagine!’s Out & About program starting when she was a senior in high school, and came back to work at O & A’s Summer Camp frequently during her college years. You could say that Bethany grew up at Imagine! in more ways than one.

Thanks for sharing, Bethany!

Out & About Experience Sets Career Path

By Bethany Roberts

 

Bethany Roberts (in back) on the job with
Out & About in 2007.

 

When I was nine, my mother started to work at Imagine! back when it was still called the Developmental Disabilities Center (DDC). My mom became good friends with Colette Marie (the Coordinator of Out & About), and during my senior year of high school (2005) I started to babysit Colette’s daughter. One day near the end of the school year, Colette mentioned that she needed some extra help with Out & About’s Summer Camp program and asked if I would be interested in working as an assistant staff. I took the position having no idea how much of an impact this job would have on my future.

On the first day, I felt I was in way over my head. I really had no experience with people with disabilities (other than the tiny bit of knowledge I had received from my mother). I remember feeling very nervous the first day; I hardly talked to anyone, not knowing what to say or how to act. Thankfully, my nerves ceased, and my confidence increased. By the end of the summer I loved the job, and I was assisting with some of the more challenging kiddos and loving it!

After that first summer, Colette asked me to stay on and work full-time. I took the job and loved it. I worked year-round for three or four years until I started going to school in Maine. Out & About is actually one of the major reasons why I went back to school. Through my work with the kids, I became very interested in autism, and I went to school so I can eventually work directly with children with autism either as a special education teacher or a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Even though I spent my school years in Maine, I still came back and worked Summer Camp every year! I have worked a total of eight summers all together. This year is actually the first summer I did not come back to work, and I am truly missing it. I love all the kids and staff, and by not coming to work at Out & About I feel as though my summer is incomplete. Imagine’s! Out & About is a major part of my life and has given me many unforgettable experiences that I will take with me in my future work with children with autism.

Are you interested in sharing your story for “50 Years, 50 Stories?” If so, contact Caroline Siegfried at caroline@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6405. We’d love to hear from you!