Friends Archives - Page 2 of 4

Broncos or Bust: The Power of Rituals in Building Community for People with Disabilities

It has almost been a week since the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl. The pros and cons of professional football are debatable. After all, the extravagance of the Super Bowl reaches the stratosphere of lavishness. We know the serious issues around injury and concussion, the ridiculous salaries and questionable taxpayer support of wealthy teams, […]

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Let’s Get Ready to Party!

A Home of My Own, Community, Daily Life, Friends / Jollity

It is early December and I am already thinking about the New Year. Holiday preparations are on the to-do list. The gingerbread house needs to be baked. Think Mikelle and Kara can do that while I sit at Anne’s Kitchen Table draped in a plastic table cloth with my other writer friends. The Christmas tree

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O’ Happy Day! Roommates Romp!

A Home of My Own, Daily Life, Decisions, Friends, Self-Determination / Jollity

“When the cat is away the mice will play.” When Mikelle’s mom, Katherine, goes out of town that can mean only one thing; Party Time! Mikelle has always loved going on adventures and hanging out with her roommates. The same is true with her current roommate Taylor. When Momma is gone the girls like

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A Day With Ms Mikelle

Community, Daily Life, Friends / Jollity

A Day With Ms Mikelle There are lots of things that Mikelle loves to do each day. She’s famous among her friends and family for insisting on getting her Starbucks frappe daily and for occasionally sneaking out of the apartment to hit the grocery store alone. She loves shopping for purses for herself and stuffed

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How Summer Camp Shapes Your Special Needs Child’s Future

Daily Life, Friends, Goal Setting, Self-Determination / Jollity

It is that time of year, the school year is winding down and summer plans are shaping up. By now, the application process for most summer camps is completed and the steep application fees have been paid. Parents and students now anxiously await the arrival of the approval letter, which usually arrives by “snail mail.”

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A Fork in the Road

A Home of My Own, Friends, Roommates, Supported Employment / Jollity

By Ashley Ryder, Our new roommate. Some people say that ‘variety is the spice of life’…and I tend to agree. Like most people, I’ve got “chapters” in my life that define who I am and who I am trying to become. These segments are easy to identify because they’re punctuated with a proverbial ‘fork in

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Our Shining Beautiful Community Glimmers this Holiday Season

A Home of My Own, Community, Daily Life, Friends, Self-Determination / Jollity

While we love our words on Shining Beautiful, it is difficult to string them together in such a way as to capture the camera sees and what are hearts feel during the holiday season. Each year, we have two major events, a holiday party and Mikelle’s birthday party. These celebrations not only connect Mikelle to

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Summer Reflections By Taylor Mason

3 Comments / Community, Friends, Roommates / Jollity

Summer is full of fun in the Shining Beautiful home. It’s afternoons at the pool, ice cream with friends, long drives along the front range and as many Starbucks frappuccinos as our stomachs can handle. It is also a season of change and this summer in particular is bringing a lot of big

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From Flab to Fab; the Mikelle Workout

A Home of My Own, Friends, Roommates, Self-Determination / Jollity

From Flab to Fab, Abs Not Included the Mikelle Workout By Taylor Mason (Roommate, Friend and known for her frequent new hair styles) Every day is a new adventure when you’re hanging out with Mikelle. During the summer months there are plenty of road trips, visits with friends, volleyball games in the park and cool

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Building a City Rich with Inclusive Communities

2 Comments / Community, Friends, Leadership / Jollity

On a cool, winter evening in late February, a few dozen young, urban professionals gathered at the newest location of Lime, an upscale Mexican restaurant at the downtown Denver Pavilions’ plaza located on the 16th Street Mall in the center of Denver. They gathered to focus on building a rich, vibrant, inclusive community in the

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