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March 29, 2023
This page is for luncheon invitees only
View the PUBLIC Awareness Day page here

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Hosted by

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Schedule

In-Person Schedule of Events

Capitol Security Protocol & Entrance Info

  • 7:45am: Coffee and Light Refreshments (Outside the Old Supreme Court Chamber (2nd floor, North side))

  • 8:00 - 8:30am In-Person IDD Policy Overview (Old Supreme Court Chamber (2nd floor, North side))

    • CART services will be provided during this Overview and can accessed via THIS LINK.

    • Optional: In advance of IDD Awareness Day, invite your legislator to stop by the Old Supreme Court Chamber for a cup of coffee and a photo. Find your legislator HERE.

  • 9:00am: Pledge of Allegiance and IDD Awareness Day Tributes

    • House Gallery (3rd floor, West side)

      • Pledge of Allegiance by Anne from Jefferson County                  

      • IDD Awareness Day House Tribute Sponsored by: Representatives Mary Young & Ryan Armagost 

    • Senate Gallery (3rd floor, South side)

      • Pledge of Allegiance by Lonnie from Summit County               

      • IDD Awareness Day Senate Tribute Sponsored by: Senators Rachel Zenzinger & Rod Pelton

  • After Tribute: Choose Your Own Advocacy Adventure

    • Continue to watch the House or Senate from the Galleries

    • Visit with your legislator or their staff in their office (make appointments in advance)

    • Watch a House or Senate Committee Hearing or a Joint Budget Committee Hearing. View Session Schedule.

    • Take a tour of the Capitol. Public tours are offered hourly 10:00am-3:00pm. Self-guided tour materials are available at the tour desk on the first floor.

    • Participate in our Photo Scavenger Hunt

      • Join the conversation on social media using #COIDD

  • 11:15am: Luncheon Check-In (PRE-REGISTERED ATTENDEES ONLY) (Denver Art Museum, ROOM: Sturm South Pavilion, 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204 - Enter through the Sie Welcome Center at the Larry & Sharon Martin Building just north of 13th Ave, and south of 14th Ave)

    • If possible, escort your legislators from the Capitol to the Denver Art Museum.

    • Walking directions from the Colorado Capitol to the Denver Art Museum:

      • For an interactive map showing the walk (approx. 6 minutes) from the Capitol to the Denver Art Museum using your mobile device, CLICK HERE.

    • Luncheon speakers will begin at 12:00pm - see speaker line-up below​.

    • The Transportation Van is intended for wheelchair or walker users (+1 attendant) only. Thank you to Continuum of Colorado for the use of your van!

      • The van can only accommodate TWO wheelchairs at a time and ONLY TWO additional passenger seats are available (one front passenger seat, one jumper seat in the back). 

      • The van will provide one-way service from the South Capitol Entrance to the Denver Art Museum between 11:00am - 12:15pm if REQUESTED

      • Pick up: 14th Ave at Sherman St., south side of the Capitol

      • Drop off: South door of Denver Art Museum on north side of 13th Ave.

    • All registered luncheon attendees will also have access to exhibits at the Denver Art Museum! Admission stickers will be provided starting at 11:15am 

Meet the 2023 Pledge of Allegiance Leaders 

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Anne

Pledge in the House Chambers

Anne lives in Jefferson County and loves performing but hasn't had opportunities because she is often overshadowed by people who are more assertive than she is. She has lots of cool gifts and talents: she plays the piano, crochets, enjoys writing, art and she loves to dance and generally have a good time. Anne has down syndrome.

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Lonnie

Pledge in the Senate Chambers

Lonnie is from Silverthorne in Summit County. He is a Special Olympics Hall of Famer with an infectious laugh and a hero who saved a little girl from drowning when he was a younger man.

Pledge
Speakers

Meet the 2023 IDD Awareness Day Luncheon Speakers

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Representative Mary Young

2022 Alliance Legislator of the Year

Rep Mary Young in the State Representative of House District 50. As a life-long public servant, she spent her career as an educator working in public schools, primarily working with students with behavioral health issues, developmental disabilities, and other learning disabilities. She has been passionate about focusing on those issues while in the State House. In addition, Rep Young's steadfast support for Envision, the CCB serving Weld County, has been monumental. She has a thorough understanding  of the needs of and services required for people with IDD, and even participates in their annual events, including the H’Art of Envision Art Show, 5K in My Shoes, and Rose Reception.

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Deborah Rose

2022 Direct Support Professional of the Year

Deborah Rose is the proud recipient of the “2022 Alliance Direct Support Professional of the Year” award.  

Deborah was born in Pueblo CO, where she grew up in the country. She was 10 when she received a camera for her birthday, and that’s when her interest in photography began. Living in the country, she found interest and appreciation in nature and its beauty. She played sports and was a cheerleader at her small high school. She moved away at 18.

She has been blessed with four children and seven grandchildren and seven step-grandchildren. Deborah loves working at North Metro, and she shares her love of photography whenever she can. She enjoys teaching her groups about the joy, calm, and beauty of our universe. She says that the smiles she receives each day are all she needs to make her job worth it!

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Carson Covey

ArcCO Board Member

Carson Covey has a board seat on The Arc Arapahoe, Douglas & Elbert Counties. Carson is also privileged enough to sit on the board of the Arc of Colorado. He is in the Leadership Education in the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program. This program I based out of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus! He is studying self advocacy. He got into this field because he had friends who were advocates themselves. Carson is trying to keep his friends’ dreams alive as well as support future generations as they try to navigate the extremely complex disability world. Carson is also involved in many programs that help support people that use augmentative and assistive communication devices. He is an ambassador for PRC Saltillo, which is a company that supports those that use speech generating devices.

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Seth Weshnak

Arc Thrift Stores’ Ambassador

Seth graduated from Northglenn High School in 2005 and has worked at the ARC Thrift Stores for over 10 years. He started working in the donation area and eventually became a cashier, and now Seth trains new cashiers.

 

Seth enjoys the ARC Ambassador Program and says his favorite social event is going to the movies and sailing at Cherry Creek Reservoir. Some of his favorite classes at ARC University are Financial Planning and the Social Media Safety classes.

 

He received the ARC Thrift Stores’ Hero of the Year Award in 2021. The award is given to employees that are dedicated to ARC Thrift Stores’ Mission and go above and beyond. He has also appeared on news stations supporting ARC Thrift Stores and radio shows.

 

Some of Seth’s hobbies are; going to the movies, watching WWE Wrestling and playing in Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments with his friends.

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Megan Bowser 

Parent

Megan Bowser is a Mom of four, including two with additional needs. Her 11-year-old son has multiple disabilities including deafblindness, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism, and is who introduced her to the world of advocacy. She now works as a Family Navigator with Family Voices Colorado, assisting families with children with special healthcare needs access the healthcare resources and government systems they need to thrive. Additionally, she is the founder and administrator of the Denver Special Needs Parent Community, an online resource connecting for over 2,500 local parents to peer support. Along with another mom, Kiera Zink, she worked to expand access for children with deafblindness to trained interveners by collaborating with Colorado Department of Education and now working with Family Voices Colorado to develop and implement the Community Intervener Pilot. 

DSP Finalists

Meet the 2023 Direct Support Professionals of the Year Finalists

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Adrianna Avalos-Moore

Agency: Stepping Stone Support Center
Time with SSSC: 8 months       
Years as a DSP: 3+ years

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F. Melonie Davis

Agency: Mosaic

Time with Mosaic: 8 years

Years as a DSP: 8 years

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Kathy Frank

Agency: Dungarvin Colorado, LLC

Time with Dungarvin: 4 years

Years as a DSP: 30 years

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Allison Grant

Agency: Overture:

Time with Overture: 7 years

Years as a DSP: 10 years

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Quintin Grogan

Agency: Continuum of Colorado

Time with Continuum: 9+ years

Years as a DSP: 9+ years

Congratulations to all 2023 DSP of the Year Nominees

Nominees

Adrianna Contreras      

Agency: Envision

Time at Agency: 5 years, 7 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 5 years, 7 months

 

Andrea Williams

Agency: Mosaic

Time at Agency: 2 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 2 months

 

Billie Romero

Agency: Community Link

Time at Agency: 24 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 24 years

 

Blake Beh

Agency: Horizons Specialized Services    

Time at Agency: 9 years, 10 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 9 years, 10 months

 

Christopher Janson

Agency: Integrated Life Choices

Time at Agency: 6 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 6 months

Clayton Bradish-Moody

Agency: Karuna Care Services

Time at Agency: 3 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 4 years

 

Cortney Allen

Agency: Ariel Clinical Services

Time at Agency: 5 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 5 years

 

Dave Henderson

Agency: Continuum of Colorado

Time at Agency: 3 years, 10 Months       

Years of Services as a DSP: Unknown

Deanne Cordova

Agency: Inspiration Field

Time at Agency: 3+ years

Years of Services as a DSP: Unknown

 

Destiny Wren

Agency: Integrated Life Choices

Time at Agency: 6 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 6 months

 

Elizabeth 'Liz' Johnson

Agency: Foothills Gateway Inc.

Time at Agency: 5 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 7 years

 

Heather Wicks

Agency: Ariel Clinical Services

Time at Agency: 1 yr 10 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 8 years

 

Janine Baker

Agency: Ariel Clinical Services

Time at Agency: 5 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 20+ years

 

Jaxson Ramirez

Agency: Integrated Life Choices

Time at Agency: 6 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 2 years

 

Jeff McNitt

Agency: Dungarvin Colorado LLC             

Time at Agency: 28 Years           

Years of Services as a DSP: 34 Years

 

Kaite Dyer-Stieb

Agency: Inclusion on Purpose

Time at Agency: 1 year

Years of Services as a DSP: 8 months

 

Katherine Stolfi

Agency: Mosaic

Time at Agency: 2 years

Years of Services as a DSP: Unknown

 

Kelley McNeir

Agency: Parker Personal Care Homes

Time at Agency: 8 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 10+ years

Kevin O'Donnell             

Agency: STRiVE

Time at Agency: 1 year, 4 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 1 year, 4 months

 

Linda Botterill

Agency: Community Link

Time at Agency: 5 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 15 years

 

Marissa Barela

Agency: AbleLight

Time at Agency: 8 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 10 years

 

Meredith Eisinger

Agency: Stepping Stone Support Center

Time at Agency: 1 year, 10 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 1 year, 10 months

 

Nancy Nelson

Agency: Dungarvin

Time at Agency: 5 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 10 years

 

Pete Galligan

Agency: Wellspring Community

Time at Agency: 5 years, 3 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 5 years

 

Sabrina Gonzalez           

Agency: Karuna Care Services

Time at Agency: 1 year 

Years of Services as a DSP: 1 year

 

Sabrina Gopalakrishnan

Agency: Developmental Disabilities Resource Center

Time at Agency: 1 year, 1 month

Years of Services as a DSP: 1 year, 1 month

 

Sharon Chamberlain

Agency: Ariel Clinical Services

Time at Agency: 5 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 26 years

 

Sheila Williams

Agency: Overture

Time at Agency: 16 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 20+ years

Stephanie Treslo

Agency: Sample Supports

Time at Agency: 1 year, 6 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 1 year, 6 months

 

Tammy Quinonez

Agency: Community Connections, Inc.

Time at Agency: 6 years, 4 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 6 years, 4 months

 

Toni Andersen

Agency: Laradon

Time at Agency: 8 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 4 years

 

Trish Nickerson

Agency: Horizons Specialized Services

Time at Agency: 5 years, 10 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 5 years, 10 months

 

Tristan "Avon" DiCarlo

Agency: Developmental Disabilities Resource Center

Time at Agency: 6 years, 10 months

Years of Services as a DSP: 6 years, 10 months

Virginia Goetzel

Agency: Envision

Time at Agency: 11 years

Years of Services as a DSP: 11 years

Whitney Powers

Agency: Inspiration Field

Time at Agency: unknown

Years of Services as a DSP: Unknown

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