It’s springtime in the Rockies and the Council is planting seeds and cultivating our work in education, grants and advocacy to drive systems change with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and caregivers.
On April 18th, the full Council gathered for a hybrid planning retreat built around a meaningful life model. We know that services and supports are of value to our community – and at the same time, we believe that no one was put on this earth to receive services. How then, do we collaborate to shift the conversation from acquiring services toward living a purposeful, meaningful life based on an individual’s interests, desires and choices? This is the heart of the Developmental Disability Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, and our mission.
- Education: The Council’s website is ready! We will be sharing regular updates about events, funding opportunities and policy efforts here. You can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram. We look forward to sharing our work with you, and hearing from you as we get ready for a statewide needs assessment in 2025.
- Grants: The Council received 45 applications from communities across the state, which gave our Planning and Grants Committee great insight into the needs and efforts of organizations in our field. We selected 11 organizations for mini-grants based on the top scores and the $380,000 of funding available. We are excited to support these projects and their work and are currently in contract negotiations. Look for a formal announcement soon!
- Advocacy: Welcome to our new Policy and Partnerships Liaison, Kristina Ericson. Kristina was chosen from a robust pool of applicants and was the select choice of the staff, Council members and community partners who participated in our interview panels. She comes to us from the City and County of Denver, where she has been an accessibility specialist for the last three years. You can reach Kristina at kristina.ericson@state.co.us.
- Membership: The Council Membership Committee interviewed 11 candidates for 5 open spaces this year including self advocates, family/caregiver advocates and a nongovernmental organization. We will welcome our new members in July and look forward to introducing them to you this Summer.
Until then, we hope you are tending to your heart and your purposeful life. You are here for a reason. We couldn’t do this work without you.
Sincerely,
Sarah Grazier
Executive Director