SmartHome Staffer Shares His Thoughts

We mentioned a couple of days ago that Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome resident Gerald presented longtime Imagine! supporter Todd Saliman with an original painting. Gerald attended the event with SmartHome staff member Richard Lowe. Afterward, Richard sent the email below. Thanks for sharing, Richard!

I dropped Gerald off last night after he had presented one of his paintings in thanks to a Colorado lobbyist who is advocating for Imagine! state funding. Most of the SmartHome consumers were in the living room, and when we told them where we’d been, they applauded. Literally applauded; everybody was so happy for Gerald, who beamed like only Gerald can. Rebecca smiled and raised both hands above her head for high-fives when she told me that she had a new job. John told me about loving his job. Lana said that she was having a meeting this Friday for getting a job. Chris has worked at Imagine!’s Dixon Building for years now. Donna loves working at In Clover.

What impressed me was the excitement and pride each consumer expressed when they spoke of their jobs. Working is a very significant step for CORE/Labor Source consumers. Through work they graduate from being solely recipients of services, to participants in the creation of value, and this positively affects their self-esteem in obvious ways. Through work they are developing a stronger sense of “I CAN!,” which is bound to spill over into other areas of their lives.

It’s what we’re doing at Imagine!: Creating and providing innovative supports . . . so that people who have disabilities can lead fulfilling lives of independence and quality.

Interest In SmartHomes Continues To Grow

Word about our SmartHomes continues to spread, and interested parties are contacting us from unexpected places. Case in point: on Wednesday, SmartHome project manager Sterling Wind received a call from a staff member for Texas State Senator Kirk Watson, wanting to discuss disability services, assistive technology, and our SmartHomes.

Sterling did his very best to answer the questions, because he knows better than to mess with Texas!

Thanks, Senator Watson, for looking into new ways of serving some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Gerald Thanks Imagine! Supporter

Last night at Imagine!’s Board of Directors meeting, Imagine! SmartHome resident Gerald presented Todd Saliman with a framed piece of artwork that Gerald painted himself in honor of Todd’s tireless work on behalf of Imagine! and individuals with developmental disabilities across the state of Colorado.

Todd’s resume is quite impressive. From 1994 to 2002, Todd served in the Colorado House of Representatives. During his term he spent four years on the influential Joint Budget Committee. From 1996 to 2002 Todd also served on Imagine!’s Board of Directors. From 2003 to 2006, Todd served as a lobbyist for Imagine!, and in 2006 Todd was appointed by then Colorado governor Bill Ritter to head the state’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting. After helping with the transition into the current Governor John Hickenlooper’s administration, Todd has returned to lobbying for Imagine! and other clients, joining forces with Tanya Kelly-Bowry as part of the Policy Matters lobbying firm.

The common thread running through all of Todd’s accomplishments is a deep commitment to protecting some of Colorado’s most vulnerable citizens – individuals with developmental disabilities. His often heroic efforts during a time of deep economic uncertainty has meant that funding for services in our state has avoided some of the deep and painful budget cuts that otherwise may have hit our field. As Imagine! CEO Mark Emery put it, “There isn’t one individual with a developmental disability in our state that hasn’t benefited because of Todd’s work.”

In the picture below, Imagine! CEO Mark Emery (far left) claps as Todd (second from left) holds up Gerald’s painting. Greg Wellems (second from right) and Gerald look on.

Congratulations Todd, and thanks for all you have done for us!

Congratulations, Leona!

Today we’d like to offer our congratulations to Leona Stoecker, past president of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors and one of the staunchest supporters of our SmartHomes project. Leona has been named as a finalist for the Longmont Community Foundation’s “Giving Spark” Award. Whether she wins or not, her spark is invaluable to us at Imagine!.

To learn more about all the great things Leona does for her community, click on the graphic below. The story is from when Leona was recognized as an icon of Boulder County by the Boulder County Business Report in a special publication called “Milestones: Icons and History of the Boulder Valley.” To make the picture bigger so you can read it better, just click on it again.

Thanks Leona, for all you have done for our SmartHomes!

Presentable

On Thursday, September 29, Imagine! SmartHomes project manager will be working at a SmartHomes information booth during the 2011 IBM Employee Extravaganza. IBM has been a supporter of Imagine! and our SmartHomes in the past, and this is a great opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with IBM employees and show them how technology is changing the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Thanks, IBM!

Now You’re Saving – On Gas!

Our decision to use green technologies when building our SmartHomes is already paying dividends in the form of cost savings. Below is an energy use comparison between the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont and a comparable home operated by Imagine! from January 2011 through August 2011.

You can see that we are seeing significant reductions in average energy use and saving an average of $3.36 per day! That is the kind of savings that can really add up in the long run, and the money saved can be used to provide more services to more individuals with developmental disabilities. Good stuff!

Guess Who’s Touring The SmartHome?

We had a great tour yesterday at the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. The “tourists” included local Longmont residents who visited with past Imagine! Foundation Board president (and all around superstar SmartHome supporter) Leona Stoecker.

Do you want to tour Imagine!’s SmartHome and see first-hand how technology is improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Just click here.