Friday, April 17, 2015

Good News Friday!

This week is National Volunteer Week.

Volunteers are a huge part of Imagine!’s success. In the fiscal year 2013-14, 409 people volunteered for Imagine!, providing 12,261 hours of service. The estimated value of those volunteer hours to Imagine! during that time is $275,025.45!

Volunteers bring much more than monetary value to our organization. Imagine! is a community-based organization, and we can’t do what we do without the support of our community. Volunteering offers a great opportunity for our local friends and neighbors to experience first-hand the vital work Imagine! employees do, and just as important, to see the amazing contributions that individuals served by Imagine! bring to their communities every day. Imagine! volunteers frequently become donors to our organization, and many end up working for us full time!

So today, I’d like to highlight (and thank) just a few of the many volunteers who have made a huge difference to Imagine! and to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Boulder and Broomfield counties.


Zoe Polk has been sharing her creativity and compassion with Imagine! for nearly two years. Zoe has volunteered with Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source program, working to support staff members and students in their art, creative writing, and music classes. Zoe has also volunteered her creative talents by creating beautiful centerpieces for Imagine!’s annual fundraising event, the Imagine! Celebration.


Leona Stoecker is an incredible Imagine! ambassador. Leona regularly brings local business and community leaders, as well as individuals from around the world to tour and visit Imagine!’s Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont. Leona is an Emeritus member of the Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors, and is recognized by all for her infectious enthusiasm and passion supporting the Imagine! mission.



Elizabeth Straka volunteers with Imagine!'s Out & About program. Elizabeth has worked with participants and staff in Out & About’s Children’s After School program during bowling outings and with Centre Stage for Kids rehearsals. Everyone appreciates the caring energy that Elizabeth brings as a volunteer, and the kids really respond well to her. She is playful, attentive, and is always willing to help where needed. In the picture above, Elizabeth is on the left wearing a black top.


The Rusk family (Kristen, Serena, Isabelle, and Jason) volunteers at Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder every Tuesday night for board game fun! Residents truly enjoy the regular good and kind-hearted vibe that the Rusk family brings each Tuesday night. Staff members at the home shared that “each resident has a blast when the Rusk family visits, because of their enthusiasm and genuine interest when chatting about what is new in each of the resident’s lives.”

By the way, are you or someone you know interested in volunteering for Imagine!? If so, contact Imagine!’s Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Hill at 303-926-6460 or ebaumann@Imaginecolorado.org.

Finally, enjoy the video below about volunteering at Imagine!.

Can’t see the video? Click here

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