Decorating The Christmas Tree At The Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome

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.

Using Social Media To Connect, Communicate, and Network Regardless of Ability/Disability

View more presentations from Fred Hobbs.

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.

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.

SmartHome In The News

A group of first-year CU Engineering students have been working all semester to create some simple assistive technologies for folks Imagine! serves, including SmartHome resident Anthony. Check out this great story in the Colorado Daily that ran today about this ambitious project.

They also made this video:

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.

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!