Good News Friday!

Oct-25-2019

Employees

Imagine! is an organization that prides itself on being involved in the world of I/DD in many ways that go above and beyond the amazing services we provide every day. Here’s a few recent examples of how Imagine! continues to act in a leadership role in our field:

  

Last week, Imagine! CEO Rebecca Novinger and Director of Client Relations Jenna Corder attended the ANCOR Policy Summit and Hill Day in Washington DC. They took the opportunity to meet with Colorado Congressman Ken Buck (R) and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (D) to discuss ways to improve the lives of Colorado citizens with intellectual disabilities. We appreciate that this is recognized as a concern on both sides of the aisle, and that working together we can create a world of opportunity for all abilities.

A little closer to home, but equally charged with forward thinking and possibilities, the Imagine! Assistive Technology team had a huge presence at last week’s Coleman Institute Conference on Cognitive Disability & Technology. The team soaked up information and inspiration, exploring ways to use technology to provide more opportunities for the people we serve to be self-reliant and to engage fully in their communities.

Finally, it isn’t just Imagine! but also our community partners who are working to find new and better ways to create a world of opportunity for all abilities.

In October 2019, Rebecca Rose, President and Founder of InClover, a maker of natural pet supplements, gave a presentation at the “Pet Sustainability Coalition’s Impact Unleashed Conference.” The presentation was about InClover’s partnership with Imagine!’s CORE/labor Source department’s Supported Employment services, and the many positive impacts the collaboration brings about. In the video below, enjoy the presentation from Rebecca (and a cameo by a good friend of Imagine!).

 

Here’s a little more from Rebecca and the InClover team:

Our pets inspire us to think bigger and act greener. At InClover, we are reminded of that daily in our pet friendly office. Our team in passionate about creating a positive impact to the environment and the community. In August of this year InClover was awarded the Top Impact Performer for Pet Supplements by the Pet Sustainability Coalition, PSC. This award is the result of measured impact our team has made in leveraging InClover to be good for pets, people and planet. Last week the PSC asked me to give a talk to 115 leaders in sustainability in the pet industry at their annual Impact Unleashed Conference in Boulder, Colorado. I was honored to share our Employing for Good story and the community work that InClover has done for the past 14 years.

In 2005 InClover created a public/private partnership with Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source, a local non-profit tasked with job training and coaching for adults with developmental disabilities. Our unemployment rate in the United States is currently 3.7%. Economists have shown that when unemployment rates go below 4% the population who wants to work is working. Adults with intellectual disabilities have a 21% unemployment rate. These are adults who are reliable, committed and productive but are often not given the opportunity to work. InClover has provided work for over 40 intellectually disabled adults. These adults have contributed over 10,000 hours of paid and meaningful work in InClover’s office. The benefit of this collaboration is measured daily in key performance indicators and witnessed in the generous and gracious workplace environment.

Together, we are impact in action.

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