Thursday, December 30, 2010

Mandy's Short Story

Mandy lives at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, and is using some of the technology in the SmartHome, including speech to text technology, to write articles for the Imagine! employee newsletter. Here’s her latest contribution, an original story (which may sound slightly familiar!):



It was a snowy day. The kids were out of school. They were bored. They wanted to go out and play. The kids wanted to drink hot chocolate. After they drank hot chocolate, they went out to play in the snow. They took a scarf and a pair of mittens, and they took some buttons that their mom had and a hat. And, they went out to build balls of snow. They used one for the head, one for the body, and the put a hat and some boots on this thing. It got really cold. The snow creation got more frozen, and when they got outside the next day, the snow creation started to move. The snowman, his name was Happy. It was very magical. It ran around with them all day and built the Christmas tree at their house. They decorated it, and he even dressed as Santa Claus and brought the kids presents on Christmas Day. But, eventually it got hot, and he melted away. The kids were sad, but he had told them before that he’d be back someday.

THE END

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas at The Charles Family SmartHome

As we approach the New Year, it is a good time to reflect on some of the important things in life, like being with friends and family.

In that spirit, here’s some photos of a group of folks who became housemates this year and are now sharing the experience of living in a technologically advanced home designed to provide them with opportunities to become more independent and have better community access. They are rapidly becoming good friends and it shows.

We hope you will enjoy these nice pictures of residents of the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont celebrating Christmas at the home and at Imagine!’s holiday party.












Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Donna's Diary - December 2010

Guess who will be getting new wheelchairs soon? Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Donna and Gerald, that’s who. Learn about that and more in Donna’s latest online diary entry below.

And for more of Donna’s diary entries, click here.


Well, this is the best Christmas I've ever had because I'm able to share it with friends and loved ones, some I haven't seen in a long time.

Since my last diary entry, on Thanksgiving we went to Zolo Southwestern Grill for a totally free Thanksgiving dinner, with lots of great food, drinks, and dessert. It was a wonderful time, and very generous of the man who owns the restaurant to provide us with such a good meal.

Gerald and I are getting new wheelchairs in January. We got evaluated and just received a letter in the mail saying the chairs will come in January. We were hoping they'd make nice Christmas presents but January is soon enough. At least I have a power chair to tide me over. Gerald has been temporarily using a manual chair, and in case you don't know, he is used to operating his power chair with a head switch so not having that chair has been a challenge for him. He deals with it well. That's my husband, he makes the best of things.

We have a decorated tree up in the house, and some of us will be celebrating Christmas here. Some of my housemates will be visiting their families. Me, Gerald, Mandy, and Chris plan to be here at the SmartHome though. It's nice the others will be with family, but I will miss them.

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Imagine! Holiday Party

A couple of weeks ago Imagine! hosted its annual holiday party. Several SmartHome residents attended, including Anthony, Rae, and Gerald, and got to enjoy the company of a jolly old elf!




Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Why I Like Living In The SmartHome

University of Colorado at Denver, School of Public Affairs student Amber Butterfield recently completed an evaluation of Assistive Technology at the SmartHomes for her MPA Capstone project. Lots of interesting and helpful information, and we sure appreciate her hard work.

One of our favorite sections included quotes from residents about why they liked living at the SmartHome. Here’s some samples:

Computers.

Bedroom.

Everything.

Touch screen computers.

Sinks and countertops that go up and down.

Like it all. Love the computers. Love to write stories. Latest story was about Snoopy.

Much better than the duplex that I lived in before. There were too many doors to go through.

My wife.

DynaVox helps me talk.

Enjoy living here.

Kitchen counters. Like to cook.

Music. Likes to listen to music.

My room. Like the space.

Thanks Amber for your hard work and sharing this information!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Congratulations Nate!

Congratulations are in order for Charles Family SmartHome staff member Nate George, who was recently honored as one of Imagine!'s 2010 Employees of Distinction.

This year’s Employees of Distinction were selected from an impressive list of nominees because of the great work they do every day to ensure that Imagine! is able to meet its mission of providing opportunities for the individuals it serves.

As you may already know, we are so fortunate! at Imagine! to have so many dedicated, talented, and passionate people working here at Imagine!. Even among this impressive group of employees, there are workers whose work ethic, compassion, and creativity allow them to stand out in a very gifted crowd. They are truly Employees of Distinction.

Learn a little bit more about why Nate was selected by reading the quote from his nomination form below. You can learn about all of Imagine!'s 2010 Employees of Distinction by clicking here.

Congratulations, Nate!



“Nate does a great job at keeping a cool, clear head in any difficult situation and continues to provide a subjective point of view and innovative ideas when tackling unexpected problems.”



Thursday, December 9, 2010

Presentable

Tomorrow, SmartHomes project manager Sterling Wind and PR guy Fred Hobbs will be presenting at the 35th Annual TASH Conference. The title of their presentation is “Using Social Media To Connect, Communicate, and Network Regardless of Ability/Disability.”

Get a sneak peak of their presentation below.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Colorado Gives Day Is Today

Donate to Imagine! this Holiday Season and increase the value of your gift TODAY, December 8.

Imagine! is participating in this new initiative that will help raise $1 million in one day for charities. Help us bring in our share!

TODAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT, you have an opportunity to increase the value of your gift. FirstBank has provided $250,000 as the lead gift for a Colorado Gives Day Incentive Fund that will leverage donations made through GivingFirst.org. The Incentive Fund (now at $320,000!) will be proportionally allocated across all donations received today, increasing the value of each gift. In addition, 100% of your online gift and the extra incentive will go to Imagine! – no bank fees! Just go to the Imagine! website at: http://www.imaginecolorado.org/ and press the Donate Here! button on the right hand side. It will take you directly to Imagine!'s page on the Giving First website.

Note: Imagine! Celebration ticket, table, and sponsorship purchases (because you receive goods -- dinners -- back in return) are not eligible.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Social Media Use At Imagine! and the SmartHomes

Imagine! strives to provide community access and opportunities for the individuals we serve. We believe that the social media revolution offers new and exciting ways for individuals to engage in their communities. Even better, in the social media world, a person’s disability is invisible. Individuals with disabilities can engage in online communities and conversations without barriers and without judgment. That is why Imagine! is exploring a variety of ways to provide access to social media tools.

Check out the video below, featuring SmartHome residents Mandy and Anthony, to learn more.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Donna's Diary - November 2010

Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Donna took part in last month’s CORE/Labor Source art show and performance. She read the piece below, which she wrote herself. She liked it so much she wanted it to be her diary entry. Enjoy.

And check out Donna’s blog!
My name is Donna Fairchild Stopa. I moved into the Charles SmartHome on July 3, 2009. I unpacked, then toured the neighborhood to meet our new neighbors. I love my new home. My life is becoming more of what I want it to be. Instead of living in a place where people have to take care of me, I now have a place to call home where I can do more things for myself.

This has been the most spectacular month of my entire life. It’s still sinking in that I’m married to Gerald. I love to see the smiles on people’s faces and to know that they are smiling because they are happy for us. One of the things I like about being married is being called Mrs. instead of Miss. Another good thing is that in the past month I’ve had more hours for my job at In-Clover. I used to work one day a week, and now I work three.

I have been a member of Imagine!’s Board of Directors for the past eight years, and as a Board member I want to do my part to help spread the word about the important work that Imagine! does. That is why I’ve been writing a monthly diary about my experiences living in the Charles SmartHome, working at In-Clover, and learning at CORE/Labor Source classes. You can find it by doing a word search at the Imagine! web site for: Donna’s Diary. (Or you can click here to go directly to my diary).

I hope you will follow along and share in this experience with us as we learn how to budget how to spend our money and spend it wisely. And now that I’m working more days, I make more money. Of course Gerald likes that too.

I hope you will also follow up on my blog because it and my marriage are new phases of my blessed life.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Thanks To Dave Query and Big Red F Restaurant Group

This past Thursday, Dave Query, owner of Big Red F Restaurant Group, once again treated SmartHome residents and other folks Imagine! serves (and their families) to a traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.

Query donated the makings for a delicious Zolo-style repast with all the trimmings, and the wait staff volunteered its time. There was no charge for the meal for the clients and their families, and no tips were necessary. Query said that he just likes to make the day a little easier for families associated with Imagine!.

This was the seventh year Query has offered this generous opportunity, and in the last six years, The Big Red F Restaurant Group has donated Thanksgiving dinner to over 2,500 Imagine! clients and families.

So here’s a post-Thanksgiving thanks to Dave and his staff for providing such a fantastic holiday meal!