2015 InspirationField Holiday Newsletter

18 INDIVIDUALS PLACED AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS

REGIONAL BOWLING IN PUEBLO, CO Eighteen individuals in service at InspirationField competed and placed at the 2015 Regional Special Olympics Bowling Games. The games were held on Sat-urday, October 24, 2015 in Pueblo, Colorado. “Bowling is one of our most popular sports in Special Olympics,” said Johnnie DeLeon, Chief Executive Officer at InspirationField. “One of the neatest things about the athletes participating in bowling is that they can then trans-fer what they learn when they have opportunities to bowl with friends and family outside of InspirationField.” InspirationField had eighteen athletes take first place in the games. Those who placed first are: 5th Place: Hanna Grauberger, and Michelle Ojeda. 4th Place: Kathleen Schlee, Andy Metzger, Emilio Bollacker, and Patrick Dry-er. 3rd Place: Tabitha Alford, Londa Jones, Cora Martinez, and Samantha Ro-denberg. 2nd Place: Lori Becerra, Conrad Becker, John Gallegos, and Matt Harris. 1st Place: Scott Cabiness, Scooter Jaramillo, Yolanda Rael, and Loretta Vialpando. After many medals were awarded to the well deserving athletes, the competi-tion came to a close. New personal bests and great memories were created, leaving athletes ready for next year. “Special Olympics gives the individuals the opportunity to compete in events that they are successful in and gives them pride. This is part of what we do here at InspirationField, teaching the individuals that they can succeed and become as independent as possible.” commented Coach Julia Hoeppner. Individuals in service at InspirationField also participate in Bocce and com-pete in several tournaments associated with Special Olympics. To all the athletes who competed in the 2015 Regional Bowling Games, Con-gratulations! Job well done!!

Inside this issue:

Welcome! 2

Calendar of Events 3

Monster Bash 4

Case Management 6 & 7

Community Supports

9

Residential Services 9

Latin Sol is Back! 11

Chief Executive Officer Blog

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InspirationField Welcomes a New Transportation Specialist!

Early on, Bruce Perkins worked on Farms in Northern Iowa. After leaving home, he worked for Winnebago industries and then as a mechanic for a Chevrolet Dealer. Bruce also worked some construction jobs in the late 1970s through middle 1980s, and worked at IBP for a number of years in Kansas be-fore moving to Colorado in the late 80s. Bruce obtained his GED at OJC in 1988 then proceeded to get his Associates there in 1992. He then began working for OJC, Child Development Services, in 1992 as a Bus Driver/Janitor for both Head Start during the regular school year and Mi-grant and Seasonal Head Start during the Summer. Bruce then became the Transportation Specialist, assistant to the Transportation Coordinator in ap-proximately 1997. When the Coordinator retired, he was offered the manage-

ment position retaining the Transportation Specialist Title around 1999. Bruce serviced and man-aged the School Bus fleet for Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Head Start for the schools located in Prowers, Bent, Otero, Crowley, Pueblo, Alamosa and Saguache counties. He was the transportation trainer for these programs as well, and became a third party Commercial driver license tester in 2003 until approximately 2009. Bruce took Early retirement from OJC, CDS after 21 years in September 2013, and later returned briefly to do some part-time work for them. Bruce then worked as an Auto Parts Salesperson for Carquest for about a year prior to joining In-spirationField. - Welcome Bruce!

Recently, InspirationField purchased a 6-unit apartment complex with a total of 12 bed-rooms. Our goal is to continue to assist individuals with developmental disabilities reach their highest potential. Several individuals have the desire to live in their own apartment, but may need some staff assistance with various day-to-day functions. This new apartment complex will give us more options and help us move closer to supporting individuals in a person-centered approach. In addition, the 4th Annual Monster Bash party sponsored by co-title sponsors, Steel City Behavioral Health and Mid-Town Motel was another huge suc-cess. We are very grateful to both sponsors for ensuring the success of the event with their $4001 in donations. On the horizon, the holidays are already upon us. Please join our agency as we give back to the community, who has been so good to the agency and individuals. On Wednesday, December 2, 2015, the agency will host the 2nd Annual Santa’s Workshop from 4:00 – 6:30 pm at InspirationField’s building located at 612 Adams Ave. in La Junta. Bring your kids and enjoy crafts, cooking making, face painting. During last year’s first-year event, over 450 people walked through the doors. As in previous years, the agency will be heavily involved with Task Resources for Youth (TRY) as they prepare to feed those in need via a food drive on December 5, 2015. Also, on December 5, the agency will sponsor a team in the annual Toy Bowl at 11:00 a.m. vs. SECOM at Tiger Stadium. In addition, the agency’s board of directors and staff will stuff bags full of toys and deliver toys for TRY’s Toys for Tots program in December and will give toys to over 500 kids in the La Junta area. Please help those less fortunate this year by donating toys, cash, or food at InspirationField located at 612 Adams Ave. in La Junta. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to each of you and your families!

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March 2016 7 - Board Meeting 11:30a 15 - St. Patrick’s Day Dinner & Talent Show 5:30p

January 2016 1 - Closed, New Year’s Day 4 - Board Meeting 11:30a

February 2016 1 - Board Meeting 11:30a 9 - Valentine’s Ball 5:30p 15 - Closed, President’s Day

InspirationField Congratulates the following employees

on their years of service:

Thank you for your dedication and commitment

to the individuals we support!!

PRESIDENT, JIM CLAWSON

Board Member Since: Sept. 1999

VICE-PRESIDENT, JOHN GALLEGOS

Board Member Since: Oct. 2003

TREASURER, MARGIE GARDNER

Board Member Since: July 2007

SECRETARY, MELVINA SKINNER

Board Member Since: Jan. 1995

STEVE BERG

Board Member Since: July 2007

HELEN HOLLAR

Board Member Since: May 2013

MICHAEL MATTHEWS

Board Member Since: May 2013

Candi Hill

Board Member Since: may 2015

John haberman

Board member since: may 2015

Donna Ward 1 year Trevan Bamber 3 years

Kenda Schreiner 1 year Caitlin Coffield 4 years

Shane Cheatham 1 year Eric Aragon 6 years

Vashti Lopez 1 year Carla DelRio 6 years

Iris Jimenez 1 year Rebecca Apodaca 6 years

Rodley Lastrilla 2 years Amanda Rodriguez 6 years

John Candelaria 2 years Lisa Garcia 15 years

Jeremiah Encinias 2 years Nikki Bjork 16 years

Phillip Montoya 3 years Rosa Salo 21 years

Stephan Hernandez 3 years Brian Gauna 24 years

December 2015 3 - Holiday Luncheon 11:30a - 1:30p, IF Commons 4 - Volunteer Appreciation Dinner 6:00p, IF Commons 7 - Annual Dinner/Meeting 5:30p, IF Commons 8 - Swink Lions Dinner 5:30p, IF Commons 23, 24 - Closed, Christmas

Page 4

Monster Bash a HUGE Success!

Terror Under the Big Top came and ended at the 4th Annual Monster Bash Costume Party and Dance, sponsored by Steel City Behavioral Health and Mid-Town Motel. The band 6035, from Colo-rado Springs, CO rocked the night away and kept the crowd on their feet dancing the night away! A HUGE thank you to Steel City Behavioral Health and Mid-Town Motel for their sponsorship of this event and to 6035 for coming down and playing the bash! A group of pirates took home the Best Group prize, a Pedro character from ’Napoleon Dynamite’ took the prize of People’s Choice, Spaghetti & Meatballs won Most Original, Popeye and Olive Oil took the prize for Best Couple, and a terrifying Ringmaster won Most Scariest! This year’s event was held October 30th and was filled with vodka lemon slushies and gore as you danced the night away wearing your favorite costume! This year’s Monster Bash was a great turn-out and brought in a wonderful amount in donations to help with our Vehicle Maintenance Facility and Dream Funds!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED MAKE THIS EVENT A SUCCESS!

Lion and the Lion Tamer

Best Group: Pirates

Scariest Costume: The Ringmaster

Jack in the Box

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SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 2016 GOLF TOURNAMENT!

THE 31st ANNUAL STEVE DAVIS

GOLF TOURNAMENT WILL BE HELD ON:

MAY 6TH, 2016 - TOURNAMENT BANQUET

MAY 7TH, 2016 - GOLF TOURNAMENT

WE SINCERELY HOPE YOU WILL

JOIN US THIS YEAR!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION &

REGISTRATION FORMS

WILL BE SENT IN JANUARY OR

MAY BE OBTAINED FROM

CAITLIN COFFIELD

INSPIRATIONFIELD -

719-468-9408

Page 6

Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the Case Manage-ment Team, Brystal Karber. Brystal graduated with a bachelor’s de-gree from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. While in college she studied Cultural Anthropology, which included doing re-search on the fascinating world of bonobo apes and digging around in the dirt for shards of pottery. Brystal is working on her Master’s de-gree in Communication with a focus on Media Effects. Prior to join-ing InspirationField, she volunteered with the Pikes Peak Therapeu-tic Riding Center, was a Graduate Student Teacher at UCCS, and worked as a cashier at the ARC Thrift Store in the Springs. In her spare time, Brystal visits her family in Colorado Springs and hula hoops with her two cats, Obie and Sushi, in the backyard of her home in Rocky Ford. She is excited to be a part of InspirationField and hopes to join the self-advocacy group here at the agency. “I have always considered myself to be an advocate for marginalized commu-nities. I want to see people empower themselves, create change by means of awareness, and find greater fulfillment in life,” says Brystal. If you are looking for Brystal she is in the Case Management Depart-ment. In case you can’t find her, she’s the one with the green hair!

Page 7

Case Management is staying busy but we’ve also been having a lot of fun. We hosted many fun events through the summer and fall. In July, we hosted two swim parties, one for the Children’s Programs and another for the Adult Pro-grams. In August we enjoyed our annual Fun In The Sun event. We took a break in September, but hit the floor running in October with Unified Flag Football and the Children’s Halloween Party. Thank you Case Management staff for your dedi-cation and commitment to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families!

Page 8

Help InspirationField get a share of the Colorado Gives Day $1 Million Incentive Fund

For the fifth consecutive year, Community First Foundation and FirstBank are partnering to present

Colorado Gives Day. All Coloradans are encouraged to join the statewide movement on Tuesday,

Dec. 8, 2015, by supporting their favorite causes online through ColoradoGives.org.

$1Million Incentive Fund

For the first time ever, Colorado Gives Day features a $1 Million Incentive Fund, one of the largest

gives-day incentive funds in the country. This means every nonprofit receiving a donation on Colorado

Gives Day receives a portion of the Incentive Fund. For example, if Inspiration Field receives 5% of

the total donations made on Colorado Gives Day, we will receive 5% of the $1 Million Incentive Fund.

Your gift to Inspiration Field on Colorado Gives Day increases the value of every dollar you donate.

Colorado Gives Day is powered by ColoradoGives.org, a year-round website featuring nearly 1,500

nonprofits. ColoradoGives.org encourages charitable giving by providing comprehensive, objective

and up-to-date information about Colorado nonprofits. It is an easy way to support us online!

InspirationField invites Coloradans to support our efforts to build a new Planned Vehicle

Maintenance Facility by donating to the agency on Colorado Gives Day, on Tuesday, December 8,

2015.

Only the donation amount scheduled for December 8, 2015 (Colorado Gives Day) will qualify for a

boost from the $1 Million Incentive Fund.

Search for Inspiration Field at www.coloradogives.org and make your safe and secure donation in a

few easy steps. You can also visit: www.inspirationfield.org and click the Colorado Gives Day logo on

the Home page and it will take you straight to our profile on www.coloradogives.org!

Adult Services Blog - Ryan Denahy

Page 9

A group of 16 individuals in service and staff spent an exciting day at Elitch Gardens in

August. We had a great day at the amusement park and stayed the night in Denver.

The following day the group attended the Denver Broncos Training Camp. David Sala-

zar was one of the individuals attending training camp and he was fortunate enough to

receive an autographed shoe from Denver Broncos All-Pro linebacker Von Miller. Mil-

ler literally took his cleat off his foot after practice and signed it and gave it to David. It

was a great experience for David and the other individuals who Von signed autographs

for as well. We had several individuals participate in Special Olympics bowling in Oc-

tober. We had (4) 1st place finishers, (4) 2nd place finishers, (4) 3rd place finishers,

(4) 4th place finishers and (2) 5th place finishers, Great Job InspirationField Firebirds!

In October we made significant changes to the organization structure of our manage-

ment team in the area of service delivery. In an effort to provide seamless service and

cross train our management team we have essential combined the Day Program and

Residential Services. This new structure will give cross program responsibilities to the

Program Directors and Supervisors. We are extremely excited about these changes

and will continue to provide great services to those we support.

- David Salazar with his Von Miller autographed cleat

Community Supports Blog - Kidron Backes

In October, InspirationField took steps to improve our agency by restructuring our Residential and Day Habilitation Man-agement team. While the restructuring has resulted in many changes we are hoping that we can have a positive impact in the services we provide. Our new management structure is going to give Supervisors the opportunity for cross-training and will develop a more seamless management experience. Additionally, as a management team we are placing an in-creased focus on hiring quality and dependable direct support staff while increasing our efforts to give new employees the training and guidance they need to be successful in their roles at InspirationField. While changes, hiring, and training have been progressing throughout the agency, the atmosphere is positive and exciting. Another piece of exciting news is that during the third quarter we were pleased that our Team Leader, Julie Fernandez, was honored with the Employee of the Quarter award. Julie’s hard work and experience at IF shines through her work each day and we feel the recognition is well-deserved. On November 15, our Supported Living Services department took a group of Bronco fans to a Bronco game. The weath-er was great for football and everyone made memories of a lifetime. Go Broncos! The Community Supports team is also gearing up for the Holiday season. We are kicking it off in style with our Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon that was held in La Junta this year on November 17. We served approximately 240 community members, individuals in service, and staff a full Thanksgiving feast. And last but not least, both our Global Treasurz stores are getting

ready for the holiday shopping season. Our dedicated staff and

individuals in service are working diligently to make sure that there

is no shortage of holiday shopping “Treasurz”. Make sure and stop

by during this holiday season to support our stores.

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Page 11

LATIN SOL!

DOORS OPEN @ 6:30PM

RESERVED TABLES ARE ONLY $200

TABLES SEAT: 8 PRICE INCLUDES: 8 ADMISSIONS,

8 DRINKS & 8 NACHOS

(ONLY 25 RESERVED TABLES AVAILABLE)

TO PURCHASE A RESERVED TABLE, CONTACT CAITLIN COFFIELD AT:

(719) 468-9408

DANCE WILL BE HELD

LOCATED @ 612 ADAMS AVE. IN LA JUNTA

FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE PROVIDED IN LA JUNTA AREA

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! DENVER’S

612 Adams Avenue

La Junta, CO 81050

27580 Frontage Rd.

La Junta, CO 81050

719-384-8700

306 N. Main St.

Rocky Ford, CO 81067

719-316-2799

Supporting Individuals with Developmental Disabilities since 1966!

InspirationField Wishes You a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!