Super Hero of the Month for June!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Amy Brissette, who is a Foster Care Placement Worker for our Innovations for Children program.

Amy was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

Amy recently made a home visit for one of her foster children, and while she was at the home, an adult that is in services became escalated and the police had to be called.  While Amy had only planned a short visit, Amy stayed at the home for over four hours waiting for the individual to calm down and she stayed outside with the foster child so that they were protected from the situation.  Amy did an amazing job comforting and reassuring the foster child throughout the incident.  Amy did not leave until she was sure that her foster child was safe.  Amy truly exemplified excellence and dedication in this situation, and I would like to commend her for her hard work.

If you see Amy around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!

New Logos for Innovations!

We are excited to announce that Innovations has a new logo!  Actually, two new logos to be exact: one for our Innovations for Children program, and one for Innovations in general.  These new logos were designed as part of an effort by Imagine! to unify brand standards across all of Imagine!'s Services.  The new Innovations for Children logo illustrates the focus we put on supporting the children we serve.  The new Innovations logo shows how we create opportunities for people both in their homes, and in the broader community.  You should expect to see the new logos on all Innovations documents, communications, and on our new website (coming soon!).

Super Hero of the Month for May!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Margaret Kuwata, who is a Primary Residential Counselor for our Bob and Judy Charles Group Home (one of our two Smart Homes).

Margaret was nominated by her supervisor, who wrote:

Due to some management and staff changes, Margaret is currently working extra hours each week to help take over most of the assistant site supervisor responsibilities at the Bob and Judy Charles Home. This has been a great help to me and the house. She has been able to accomplish all the extra tasks completely, and this is really helping me keep the Bob and Judy Charles Home stable. She has also taken the initiative to help solve any issues that occur, and report back to me that things have been handled. She has done a fantastic job this first week of being the "interim" assistant supervisor.  Also, Margaret is always willing to plan outings that are meaningful to the individuals at the home, and recently took four people by herself for a girl’s day out.

If you see Margaret around, please congratulate her on being our Super Hero of the Month!

Super Hero of the Month for March!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Mike Fischer, who is a Primary Residential Counselor for our Satellite Apartment Program.

Mike was nominated by his co-worker, who wrote:

I just wanted to let you know that I was really impressed by Mike's work ethic and multi-tasking skills. Due to being short-staffed for part of a Saturday, there was a lot of extra work to be completed by available staff, and Mike really stepped up to the plate and did an amazing job.  Mike stepped in and single-handedly completed the entire care routines for three people, of which they were the three hardest personal care routines in the house.  Not only did he complete the three routines, but he helped with dinner, medication administration, and was a joy to work with.  I just wanted to let you know since I believe he really deserves recognition!

If you see Mike around, please congratulate him on being our Super Hero of the Month!

New Mission Statement for Imagine!

We are excited to announce that Imagine! has updated its Mission Statement!  The new Mission Statement is short and sweet, while still clearly identifying what we are trying to accomplish here at Imagine!.  One notable change is that the word "disability" is no longer part of our Mission.  We determined that the word "disability" is limiting both to Imagine! as an organization, and in regards to the people we serve.  We choose to focus on the things people can and want to do, instead of what they struggle with.

Thank you all for everything you do to help Imagine! fulfill this important mission!

To learn more, click here to read CEO Mark Emery's blog post, and watch him talk about the new Mission in the video below.

Super Hero of the Month for February!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Alex Prokop, who is a Primary Residential Counselor for our the Charles Family Group Home (one of our two Smart Homes).

Alex was nominated by his supervisor, who wrote:

I would like to nominate Alex Prokop as the Super Hero of the Month.  He has done numerous things recently to help out at the Charles Family Group Home, which have made a big difference for the individuals he serves as well as his co-workers.  One night while I was working with Alex, another staff was not able to work their shift and Alex stepped up to the plate.  Alex and I worked the shift together and he was amazing.  He was organized and efficient with everything that he did.  He passed meds, cooked dinner, and did bedtime routines - and all with a smile.  He also agreed to fill in at the last minute for a co-worker who was having a family emergency.  Alex exemplified everything that makes an employee a Super Hero and it is very much appreciated.

If you see Alex around, please congratulate him on being our Super Hero of the Month!

Super Hero for the Month of December!

Every month, Innovations presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing
• Effective and Efficient
• Respect and Dignity
• Opportunities
• Integrity
• Care

This month, the award was presented to Ryan Brennan, who is a Residential Counselor for our Manhattan Group Home.

Ryan was nominated by his supervisor, who wrote:

On Thanksgiving, Ryan was scheduled to end his shift at 9:30am, but when a guardian didn’t come to the house as planned at 9, he contacted them. When they told him they would not be driving due to the weather, he offered to take the individual we support to the guardian’s home in Longmont so that they could enjoy Thanksgiving with their family. I’d like to nominate him for his trouble shooting skills and taking initiative to come up with a solution that worked in everyone’s best interest. I’d also like to nominate him for taking things in stride and keeping a positive attitude during all situations.  Ryan is a great counselor and we are happy to have him at the house.  

If you see Ryan around, please congratulate him on being our Super Hero of the Month!