Many Thanks!

Imagine! is indebted to our many partners on our SmartHomes project. Today, we’d like to highlight a few recent generous grants and donations we have received in support of our efforts:

The Collins Foundation Trust, established by Ruth and William R. Collins through Wells Fargo Bank in Boulder, provided a grant of $3,000 for the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

The Colorado Association of Realtors Housing Opportunity Foundation (CARHOF) made a pledge of $4,000 for the Charles SmartHome. Thanks to the Boulder Area Realtor Association for their assistance in securing this pledge.

The Longmont Rotary Charity Fund gave us a grant of $1000 for kitchen gear (pots, pans, plates, etc.) for the Longmont SmartHome.

And the John G. Duncan Trust provided a grant of $2,000 for the Charles SmartHome.

We are so grateful for all the support we have received over the past few years to help improve the lives of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens. For a complete list of our partners, click here.

John at Work

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident John Rohrer works at Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, paying taxes and spending his hard earned money in the community. Technologies available to John at the SmartHome allow him to be more independent, which in turns makes it easier for him to hold down a steady job. What better way to demonstrate how providing opportunities to SmartHome residents (and all Imagine! consumers) to engage fully in the community benefits us all?

John and Rae Dance Performance

Last Saturday, Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents John and Rae performed a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” at Niwot High School. The performance was arranged through the City of Boulder’s EXPAND program. Great work, guys!

More on Tours

As the word spreads about our SmartHomes project, more and more people locally and from across the nation have come to see first hand how technology is improving the lives by touring the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome.

Last week, Jane Davis-Bunt, Vice President of Connecticut-based Ability Beyond Disability, toured the home, along with Rodney Bell from Oregon-based ASSET Consulting, LLC.

Today, more than 20 people are touring the home, many of them university professors from across Colorado who specialize in MR/DD issues.

If you are interested in touring the Charles SmartHome, click here.

Gerald Stopa: Imagine!'s 2007 Consumer of the Year

Did you know that Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald Stopa was Imagine!’s 2007 Consumer of the Year? Check out the video we made back then to honor his achievements.

Longmont SmartHome Construction Update

A few small details left, and then we are done! These photos were taken during the walk through of the Longmont SmartHome with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspector, our HUD consultant, Golden Triangle Construction, and PEH Architects to identify the final construction punch list! Basically we have landscaping to come in early Spring, and that's it!

Congratulations Julie and George

We are so fortunate at Imagine! to have so many accomplished friends in the community who actively support our mission and our SmartHomes project.

Today, we’d like to congratulate two in particular who have recently been honored for their work in their own respective fields.

Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors member Julie Vlier was recently honored by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado as the 2010 Outstanding Woman in Engineering. The award was created to recognize women for their professional achievements in the engineering field, and Julie, a manager in the water resources division of Tetra Tech, is most deserving of this prestigious award.

And our good friend George Karakehian, who is also a member (and past president) of the Imagine! Foundation Board, has been inducted into the 2010 Class of the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame. George, owner of Art Source International in Boulder, has been described as Mr. Downtown Boulder for his efforts to promote the downtown and Boulder. George’s tremendous efforts on behalf of Imagine! and our SmartHomes demonstrate that it would be equally appropriate to describe him as Mr. Imagine!.

Congratulations to Julie and George, and thanks for all you do for our organization and the individuals we serve!

On Demand (Management)

Imagine!'s SmartHome guru Greg Wellems will be presenting on Demand Management at ANCOR's 2010 Management Practices Conference & Trade Show April 11-13 in New Orleans. The presentation title is Demand Management: How to Make the Hard-Nosed Business Decisions. See the video for a quick preview.