Labor Source 30 for 30 - Community Food Share

Labor Source, the supported employment division of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.

To honor this important milestone, each week I am publicly thanking and recognizing Labor Source’s many local business partners.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. The benefits extend far beyond helping individuals served by Imagine!, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

We are very grateful to our business partners who have demonstrated their commitment to Imagine!’s mission by employing CORE/Labor Source participants.

Today’s Labor Source 30 for 30 partner highlight: Community Food Share Serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties.

Community Food Share supplies food to local nonprofit organizations, which in turn distribute the food to their clients, free of charge.

Thank you, Community Food Share, for your commitment to providing employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Good News Friday!

Today, I’d like to introduce my blog readers to Imagine!’s Wish List.

Created by the Imagine! Foundation a few months ago, Imagine!’s Wish List seeks to find donors of items that will augment and enhance Imagine! programs and services. These are items that we do not usually receive funding for through our traditional funding mechanisms, but have the potential to improve the lives of the individuals we serve.

For example, here are just a few of the items currently on Imagine!’s Wish List:

• For Imagine!’s Garden Place Home in Longmont: new computer games; make up/cosmetics (perfume, foundation - light beige), eye shadow (taupe, browns), mascara, lipstick (any color); special soaps; books (any type, but books about animals appreciated); country music CDs; latch hook kits; romance novels; Jigsaw puzzles; sports gear (especially NY Yankees); sport posters; small book shelves; used/new area rug – around 4’ X 3’.; several cushioned chairs for the “Book Nook” area 
• Backpacks, toys, and birthday presents for children with developmental disabilities in foster care 
• iPads (many departments use these for working with the individuals we serve; heavy duty iPad covers 
• Rockies tickets 
• A small garden shed for Imagine!’s 19th Street Group Home in Boulder 
• Arts and craft supplies for Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder 

You can view the entire Imagine! Wish List by clicking here.

If you are able to provide an item, please contact Patti Micklin at pmicklin@imaginecolorado.org or 303.926.6443. Pick-up for large items can be provided, and your contribution is tax deductible. If you prefer to provide a cash gift to be used for the purchase of one of the items below, that would also be most welcome.

Several items have already been secured through our Wish List, including a treadmill, 15 board games, including Uno, Checkers, and Sorry for the Next Step Group Home in Broomfield, and luggage for children entering a new foster care placement at Imagine! donated by Bob and Judy Charles. You can see Bob pictured with the luggage below.

If you are so inclined, I encourage you to keep up with Imagine!’s Wish List to see if there may be a simple way for you to help us meet our mission. A short version of the list is published every Wednesday on the Imagine! Foundation blog, and you can find the entire list on Imagine!’s website. 

Labor Source 30 for 30 - Natural Grocers

Labor Source, the supported employment division of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.

To honor this important milestone, each week I am publicly thanking and recognizing Labor Source’s many local business partners.

 Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. The benefits extend far beyond helping individuals served by Imagine!, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

We are very grateful to our business partners who have demonstrated their commitment to Imagine!’s mission by employing CORE/Labor Source participants.

Today’s Labor Source 30 for 30 partner highlight: Natural Grocers.

The good people at Natural Grocers believe every person can improve their own health and well-being when they have access to quality food, stay informed about nutrition, and learn to trust their own experience.

Thank you, Natural Grocers, for your commitment to your community and for providing employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Finding Opportunity In Tragedy

Aaron Tuneberg

Last spring, Aaron Tuneberg, a 30-year old resident of Boulder who had an intellectual disability, was brutally murdered. At the time of his death, Aaron was eligible for services through the state of Colorado, but was one of hundreds of adults living in Boulder and Broomfield counties on a waitlist for those services, and he was not receiving any direct support services through Imagine! or any other service provider.

I have put off writing about this for awhile. I wanted to wait until emotions were a little less raw and to respect a certain period of necessary grieving. During that time, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Gale Boonstra, Aaron’s mother, as she has worked diligently to turn this tragedy into opportunity. You can read more about her impressive and inspiring efforts here.

Gale’s goal is to “build a bridge for adults with disabilities to safely navigate their independence.” As I have followed her progress, and as I have learned from her during this time, I have come to a disturbing realization about myself and many others of us in this state working to provide services for individuals with a variety of intellectual and developmental disabilities. The sad reality is that we became complacent about the waitlists for services for adults in Colorado. While I don’t know of anyone who was comfortable with the existence of a waitlist, many of us (and I put myself on the top of that list) had become so used to it that we simply accepted the fact that some adults just wouldn’t receive services until their situations became desperate. Aaron’s unnecessary demise is proof of how wrong we were. The waitlist isn’t, and never has been, OK.

Now, to be fair, even before this tragedy, efforts were underway to lessen or eliminate the wait for services many Colorado adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many of those efforts have their own shortcomings, however.

For example, it is true (and commendable) that the most recent budget approved by the Colorado state legislature included a significant increase in Supported Living Services (SLS) resources for adults. Unfortunately, those resources only meet part of the need, and many of the individuals waiting for services have needs beyond those which SLS resources will be able to meet.

There has also been substantial progress on the creation and introduction in the legislature of a bill to establish a plan to end the waitlist by the year 2020. While this is exciting news, I fear that so far the discussions surrounding the bill only go part of the way in truly addressing the problem. As they stand, current rates don’t really match the cost of doing business for many service providers. Furthermore, restrictions on services which are attached to much of the current funding mechanisms mean that even a person with funding might not be able to get the services that he or she truly needs to be able to navigate the community successfully. The restrictions also frequently fail to take into account the growing labor shortage among service providers or the possibilities that technology bring to service provision.

I can’t say that if Aaron had been receiving services rather than languishing on a waitlist this horrific tragedy wouldn’t have happened. I simply don’t know. But I know for certain that the fact that he wasn’t able to receive any services even though he qualified was, and is, unacceptable. And I, among many others, pretended for too long that it was acceptable. Inspired by Aaron’s memory and Gale’s drive and purpose, I pledge to never accept waitlists as part of doing business again, and I exhort my colleagues throughout Colorado to pledge the same.

Let’s not have any more stories like Aaron’s. We can’t bring him back, but we can act in such a way to ensure we are doing everything we possibly can from preventing it from ever happening again.

Then again, what do I know?

Good News Friday!

Susan LaHoda

Today’s Good News Friday post is a mix of some good news with some sad news.

First, the sad news (for Imagine!, anyway). Susan LaHoda, who has been the Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation since its inception, is retiring on August 1, 2014. Under Susan’s tutelage, the Imagine! Foundation has raised more than $6,000,000 to date.

Bob Charles, the Founder of the Imagine! Foundation, said, “There would be no Imagine! Foundation without Susan. It has been said that Reggie Jackson (Hall of Fame baseball player) was the straw that stirred the drink. Well, Susan is the cup, the drink, AND the straw. 

“One of the most brilliant moves John Taylor (former Imagine! CEO) made was hiring Susan. She was the right person at the right time. When the Foundation was starting, she coordinated all the meetings and had all the facts. I relied on her for everything. I can’t imagine what we’d have done without Susan. I did whatever she asked me to do. She’s the kind of person you would never want to disappoint or let down. When it comes to her job, she’s got her heart in it. She was the shepherd and I was one of the sheep in the flock. Some people of great value are referred to as another person’s right arm. Well, Susan is the right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, everything. She’s a copy machine and computer all rolled into one. 

“Whenever there’s an event, she always runs to the back of the room because she has never wanted any recognition or accolades, but she certainly deserves it.” 

I’d like to offer my congratulations to Susan. I want to let all of my blog readers know what an absolute pleasure it is has been working with her. She is one of the few people I know who can light up a room without ever casting a shadow. On behalf of all of us at Imagine!, we will be wishing her well every day to come.

So that’s the sad news part of this particular post. The good news part is that we have already hired a replacement for Susan, and I don’t think we could have found a better candidate.

Patti Micklin

I am pleased to announce that Patti Micklin, formerly the Director of Development at Via Mobility Services in Boulder, will become the new Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation upon Susan’s retirement. Patti brings 25 years of development experience to the position, having raised millions of dollars to improve the lives of others. Prior to her time at Via, she was the Development Associate and Officer at Rocky Mountain Institute in Boulder and the Development Director at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, LA. She is the parent of a daughter who is served by Imagine! so will also bring a wealth of first-hand understanding of disabilities and Imagine! services to the job.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Patti as she joins the Imagine! staff on July 21.

Labor Source 30 for 30 - Boulder Community Health

Labor Source, the supported employment division of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.

To honor this important milestone, each week I am publicly thanking and recognizing Labor Source’s many local business partners.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. The benefits extend far beyond helping individuals served by Imagine!, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

We are very grateful to our business partners who have demonstrated their commitment to Imagine!’s mission by employing CORE/Labor Source participants.

Today’s Labor Source 30 for 30 partner highlight: Boulder Community Health.

Founded in 1922 as a community-owned and operated not-for-profit hospital, Boulder Community Health is dedicated to meeting the evolving healthcare needs of local citizens and providing access to high quality medical care.

Thank you, Boulder Community Health, for your commitment to your community and for providing employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A New Declaration

July seems like a good month to talk about declarations.

The particular declaration I’d like to talk about isn’t the Declaration of Independence, but it is a declaration that may well lead to more independence for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The declaration I am talking about is the Declaration on the Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access.

I first wrote about this declaration on my blog back in October, 2013. The declaration is a statement of principles: the rights of ALL people to inclusion and choice in relation to technology and information access.

Since that time, my colleagues and I have been evangelizing in many different ways about this important and game changing declaration. Many of us at Imagine! have endorsed the declaration individually, and Imagine! has endorsed it as an organization. Imagine! representatives have featured the declaration in presentations delivered across the nation, and we have highlighted the declaration prominently on our website and through our many social media channels.

We have also worked to incorporate the declaration into our everyday activities, as well as into our own set of rights for the individuals we serve. Having the very tangible goal of technology access for the individuals we serve provides a foundation for a new way of thinking and discussing services. It has helped us to think more creatively when considering how services are to be delivered in the future, and the declaration is turning into a self perpetuating force as it becomes more ingrained in our organizational culture.

The declaration continues to gain momentum outside of Imagine!, as well. I am pleased to note that it has been endorsed by Alliance, Colorado’s statewide association of Community Centered Boards (CCBs) and Service Provider Organizations (SPOs). And this past March, the Colorado State Legislature became the first legislative body in the nation to endorse the declaration.

The forward movement toward a more universal acceptance of the principles outlined in the declaration is encouraging, but we still have a long way to go.

So, what’s next?

First, I think we need to be clear that declaring the right to technology access isn’t the same as an automatic guarantee that every technology will instantly be given to anyone who wants or needs it. The U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to a free press, but that doesn’t mean the government is going to give me my own TV station.

That being said, the more technology becomes part of the conversation, the more we can change our thinking to incorporate technology into our planning as we design and implement new service models. I am proud of being a citizen of the first state to formally adopt the declaration, but I’d urge them to go further – let’s make Colorado a “Technology First” state, a state in which we look at technology options for service delivery first before looking at other service options. Let’s examine how we fund services, and be sure to create payment mechanisms for technologies that have the potential to create new and exciting opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

I think that goal is easily within our reach, and the more we can spread the word about the declaration, the more chance we have to reach that goal. So if you haven’t already, please endorse the declaration, either as an individual or on behalf of the organization you work for or support (or both). Let the world know that the community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the organizations and caregivers who serve them are united in the belief that all individuals have a right to access comprehensible information and usable communication technologies to promote self-determination and engage meaningfully in major aspects of life.

More importantly, no matter what your role in our field is, make the effort personally to ensure the declaration is a living, breathing document by studying, implementing, testing, and refining technology options in services in whatever capacity you are able.

Together, we can create a world where this declaration won’t need to exist because the rights enumerated within will be held as self evident to all. Technology can, and will, break down many of the remaining barriers that have historically prevented individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from fully realizing their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Then again, what do I know?

 Click on the image to see a larger version.

Good News Friday!

In June, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce hosted a “Hoppy” Hour with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper at Twisted Pine Brewery. This exclusive Boulder Chamber event featured an opportunity for top-tier business leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and local elected leaders to interact with the Governor, who is also a brewing entrepreneur. Imagine! SmartHome resident Gerald, who has worked at Twisted Pine for several years, spent a little quality time with the Governor during the event. Way to go, Gerald!

Thanks to Ryan Trupp Photography for sharing the photos, and to Richard Lowe for sharing information about the event.

Labor Source 30 for 30 - The Dairy Center for the Arts

Labor Source, the supported employment division of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.

To honor this important milestone, each week I am publicly thanking and recognizing Labor Source’s many local business partners.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. The benefits extend far beyond helping individuals served by Imagine!, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

We are very grateful to our business partners who have demonstrated their commitment to Imagine!’s mission by employing CORE/Labor Source participants.

Today’s Labor Source 30 for 30 partner highlight: The Dairy Center for the Arts.

The Dairy Center for the Arts was founded in 1992 to provide cooperative workspaces for local artists and venues for live performance in Boulder County. Originally owned by the Watts-Hardy Dairy, the building’s transformation from a former milk-processing facility to a thriving multi-disciplinary arts hub for Boulder and beyond is a nationally recognized example of constructive urban development and renewal.

The Dairy’s founders envisioned a community arts center where artists of all genres would create and inspire each other and the greater community. Today, this dream of shared art making is a thriving reality. The Dairy’s 42,000 square foot facility houses disciplines ranging from visual arts, theater, and film to dance and music.

A professional environment complete with art galleries, performance venues, teaching studios, offices, rehearsal spaces, dance studios, and a 60-seat art-house cinema, it is Boulder's largest multi-disciplinary arts center. The Dairy's audience spans all ages, backgrounds and ability levels, from young student to seasoned performer and from first-time to seasoned theatergoers. Their audience is inclusive of all ages and backgrounds as well as adults and children of various cultures and levels of ability; and their facility is accessible to persons with physical mobility challenges.

Thank you, Dairy Center for the Arts, for your commitment to your community and for providing employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Questioning

In my role as the CEO of Imagine!, I believe that one of my most important functions is to ensure that Imagine! remains a learning organization.

Imagine! has a well deserved reputation locally, nationally, and even internationally as a leader in the field of serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I am convinced that one reason we have that reputation is because staff members at every level of the organization have a strong curiosity about what we do. They look at things and ask “why?” and explore new and unique solutions to challenges by asking “why not?” They want to learn new ideas and examine new approaches in everything they do.

Some of that curiosity exists at Imagine! because we have always been fortunate to have access to a highly educated and dedicated workforce. But that culture of curiosity, that desire to keep learning, isn’t something that just happens. It takes hard work and a willingness to let employees try new things, along with the acceptance that failure can be (and frequently is) part of that process.

So I always try to make an effort to model behavior that I believe will lead to a continuation of our tradition of curiosity and learning. When chatting casually with employees at the coffee machine, I will often ask “what have you learned today?” Although people are sometimes a little thrown off by the question, I find that it inevitably leads to a much more interesting conversation then if I just asked “how are you doing?” And I believe that if I do it enough, people will begin to pay more attention to what they are learning, and perhaps even go out of their way to learn something new.

Of course, if I want to try to model any behavior, I need to start with myself. So in addition to taking a little time at the end of each day to reflect on what I learned that day, I have added a couple of new goals: every day, I aim to go someplace new and to talk to someone I haven’t spoken with previously.

This might seem challenging at first, but I think when you look at it deeper you will find it isn’t all that difficult. If I really make the effort, I think that I could find several places new to visit just on the block where I live. Surely, then, if I open myself to exploring my neighborhood, my city, or my state, there are almost an infinite number of places I can go where I have never visited before. And it doesn’t take much effort to step outside of my comfort zone to introduce myself to someone new each day and engage in enough conversation to find out a little about their lives.

So heads up, Imagine! employees. The next time I see you, I may ask you what you have learned, or what new place you have visited lately, or who you have met recently. And I encourage you to ask me the same questions. During those conversations, please understand that I’m not trying to put you on the spot. Instead, I am trying to do my part to continue Imagine!’s 50-plus year tradition of thinking differently, asking hard questions, and using our curiosity as an avenue for exploring new and innovative ways to provide opportunities for the people we serve to participate in their communities in meaningful ways.

Then again, what do I know?

Good News Friday!

Looking for something to do this 4th of July weekend? Tomorrow, July 5, Imagine! will be the featured non-profit at the Millennium Harvest House’s Boulder Summer Reggae Festival. We’d love to have you join us! Details below.

Labor Source 30 for 30 - Lafayette Public Library

 

Labor Source, the supported employment division of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.

To honor this important milestone, each week I am publicly thanking and recognizing Labor Source’s many local business partners.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. The benefits extend far beyond helping individuals served by Imagine!, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

We are very grateful to our business partners who have demonstrated their commitment to Imagine!’s mission by employing CORE/Labor Source participants.

Today’s Labor Source 30 for 30 partner highlight: Lafayette Public Library.

At the Lafayette Public Library, you may use your card to checkout and renew materials, download eBooks, search our online databases, and use library computers. You may also enjoy a variety of programs for children, teens, and adults that connect our community to reading and learning. Community members can present library co-sponsored programs.

Thank you, Lafayette Public Library, for providing employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Block and Tackle

Over the weekend, I was thinking about block and tackle systems. For those of you who don’t know, a block and tackle is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift or pull heavy loads. If you want an in depth description of a block and tackle, check out the video below.

Can't see the video? Click here.

I learned about block and tackles when I was a kid, and received more detailed information on them when I briefly explored an engineering major when I started college (I eventually discovered what I really wanted my academic career to focus on – skiing).

Even with my shift of focus at school, I always retained an admiration for the beauty and power of a block and tackle system. There is much to be said for simple infrastructure of pulleys and ropes that leads to such a significantly lessened workload. At Imagine!, we also have an infrastructure system which frequently leads to a lightened workload.

I have noticed this several times recently, and felt it was worth acknowledging publicly.

Like many organizations, sometimes at Imagine! we find find ourselves facing unexpected challenges. During those challenges, it is important that every person involved understands his or her role in addressing the challenge, and is able to execute that role for the benefit of the broader organization. One person may take the lead during the challenge, but his or her ability to handle the challenge depends directly on how many people are providing support. In other words, people acting as ropes and pulleys to lessen the load can mean the difference between a successful outcome and disaster.

We have faced a few such challenges at Imagine! recently, and in each one I was extremely impressed by how Imagine! staff members came together to form impromptu block and tackle systems to lighten the load for others. In some cases, the person lifting the load might not have even been aware of the others who were working behind the scenes to assist in addressing the challenge. But in all of the examples, the proper team members stepped up when needed to ensure the best results possible.

Of course we aren’t perfect at Imagine!. We make mistakes. But in case after case, I find myself humbled by the great work that so many do here, acting as ropes and/or pulleys, to make sure that the person lifting the load isn’t forced to go it alone. It makes me proud to be part of the Imagine! team.

Then again, what do I know?