Imagine! Celebration

The Imagine! Celebration is the annual fundraising event of the Imagine! Foundation.  It is held the last weekend in January each year.  In recent years, it has been held at the Best Western Plus Plaza Longmont Conference Center, and more than 400 people attend.  The event includes a silent auction featuring more than 200 items, dinner, a live auction, and a special appeal (paddle raiser).  Sponsorships are encouraged at the Platinum ($10,000), Gold ($5,000), and Silver ($2,500) level.  Tables of 10 may be purchased for $1,250, and tickets are $95/each. Proceeds from the event are used to support Imagine!’s programs, services, housing, and its two SmartHomes.

Imagine! Celebration:  Another Success!

This year’s Imagine! Celebration had a new reason to celebrate, as 2013 is Imagine!’s 50th year of operation. The milestone was honored with 50th anniversary balloons, signs, flowers, notepads, and a brief history given by Imagine! Foundation president Sandy Bracken of just how far services for people with developmental disabilities have come during those 50 years.

Bracken noted that when Imagine! was begun by a group of parents in 1963, the standard advice from doctors was to institutionalize any child born with a developmental disability. But this group of parents wanted to keep their children at home and create a life of meaning and fulfillment for them. Thus Imagine! was created, but many challenges still loomed. For example, Bracken noted that even though the 1960s Civil Rights Act increased equal rights pertaining to race and gender, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the Individual’s with Disabilities Education Act declared students with disabilities as also having inalienable civil rights to a public education. Today, after many years of continued effort, Imagine! takes pride in its ability to help the 2856 individuals whom it serves each year to have quality lives and to be an integral part of a thriving community.

Though the history was sobering and gave context and meaning to the event, the evening at the Plaza Conference Center in Longmont was also festive! A total of $230,000 was raised to support Imagine! programs and services. Generous restaurants, hotels, businesses, and individuals donated 215 auction items. The silent auction item that proved most popular was a coin proof set from 1975 that sold for 367% of its value! In the live auction, conducted by auctioneer Gary Corbett, a Jax Fish House Chef’s Table Dinner sold for five times its value, and former Foundation president Leona Stoecker’s “Year of Home-Baked Bread” sold for 11 times its value!

The latest technology, which Imagine! is known for, also played a role. Last year for the first time guests were able to bid on silent auction items using their smartphones, and smartphone bidding accounted for 11% of the bids. This year nearly one-fourth of all bids placed were placed on smartphones. It certainly makes it easy!

Emcee George Karakehian, an Imagine! Foundation emeritus member, spoke of the $5.3 million raised by the Imagine! Foundation to date and introduced a video produced by Imagine! employees Alex Andrews and Fred Hobbs. The video shared the stories of two individuals Imagine! has served – Joe Hansen, who works at Safeway and is a member of the Imagine! board of directors, and Chris Miller, who has gained a sense of belonging from Imagine!’s Out & About’s summer camp and after school program.

Parents Cindy and Dwight Newell were kind enough to share the personal story of their daughter Lindsey, who has received many services from Imagine! during her 22 years. The Newells expressed particular appreciation for Imagine! staff members who provided care and help for Lindsey above and beyond what might be expected as she went through a difficult crisis and who truly made it possible for Lindsey to continue to live at home. The Newells courageously and eloquently reminded everyone in the room of why they were there, which provided a fitting ending to an important evening for those we serve.

Special thanks to the Imagine! Celebration Committee and to our event sponsors for their significant contribution to the event’s success.

Imagine! Celebration Committee

CORE GROUP
Colene Van Winkle and Paige Lawrence, Event Chairpersons
Don Sullivan

CALLING CREW
Teresa Brooks
Katie Hawkins
Kathy Montgomery

SPECIAL HELP
Patrick Krause
Michelle O’Brien
Jane Rogers

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These generous donors have contributed $117,500
to the 2013 Imagine! Celebration –
a 5% increase over last year!

IN APPRECIATION

We are very grateful to: Republic National Distributing Company for providing the red, white, and sparkling wines for the Imagine! Celebration, Left Hand Brewing Co. for donating the beer, Liquor Mart for arranging for all beverage donations, Morrell Printing Solutions for discounting the invitation and program printing, Frasca for the Heads and Tails prize, and Sturtz and Copeland for the beautiful flower arrangements. Special thanks to Mark Schroder at Purple Sage for creating the Imagine! Celebration design used since 2006, for updating the invitation and sponsor page layouts every year since, and for creating the 50th anniversary logo – all pro bono.

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Imagine! Foundation Board President Sandy Bracken (left) and past Board President Leona Stoecker at the Annual Imagine! Celebration, which honored Imagine!’s 50th Anniversary.	Imagine! CEO Mark Emery (left) poses with Margie Shaw and her son, Chris Miller. Margie and Chris were featured in a video, which debuted at the Celebration, about Imagine!’s services.
Cindy and Dwight Newell shared the story of their daughter Lindsey, clearly reminding everyone attending the Imagine! Celebration of why supporting Imagine! is so important.	Attendees at the Imagine! Celebration included Imagine! Foundation Board of Directors member Rick Nelson and Imagine! Board of Directors President Whitney Blair.
Kristin Karakehian, Rebecca Novinger, George Karakehian	Colene Van Winkle
Susan LaHoda, Valorie Simpson, Terry and Zoe Palmos	Paige Lawrence and Don Sullivan
John Frisbie and Mike Tennery	Kathy and Jay Montgomery and Kathy Evans
Linda and Walt Pounds	Chris Leh and Karen Leh
Debbie Farrar, Karen Woolhiser, and Richard Ackerman Ackerman	Melodie Della Cava, Ron Secrist, Lou Della Cava
Jack and Gale Stoakes	Yvonne and Phil DiStefano
Dennis and Becky Fase	David Braddock
Rollie Heath	Greg Wellems and Chuck Wellman

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Imagine! is grateful to all of our caring donors.

For information, contact Susan LaHoda at slahoda@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6443.

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