The founding families of the Blue Spruce Community are parents of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). We organized to help our adult children find their home in the community. The parents are all concerned about the lack of options available to our children plus the extended wait list for adult residential services. We hope to inspire a choice in residential options that promotes community, friendship and safety.
Our adult children are actively engaged in their community with friends, jobs, social activities, and volunteerism. All the families have their unique situations and have a common goal of supporting our young adults as they move towards independence.
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Our son David is 28 years old. While he lives with autism, he works at the ARC and CU, rides public transportation and loves the Buffs, Rockies, and Avalanche.
David has lived at Glory Community – a small, private community for Special Needs Adults – in Broomfield for nearly 4 Years. Living in this community, has helped David grow in many ways, including his confidence and independence. David does still need help with his meals, planning and problem solving.
David has developed strong bonds with his roommates and learned to hold a job and be independent. Due to this positive experience, we are motivated to create a larger community with lower costs. This would benefit more people and create a more sustainable community.
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Our daughter Sophia is 24 years old. Her parents are in their late 50’s. Sophia is cognitively and developmentally delayed. She enjoys working at Hearts ‘n’ Hands in Boulder and Crystal Joys in Longmont. She loves sports and arts. She plays on the Special Olympics Basketball team, participates every year in the Bolder Boulder with the Beyond Limits group, and likes to do scrapbooking and jewelry making.
Sophia currently lives in an apartment with a live-in caretaker. She has lived in this type of arrangement for nearly 4 Years. Sophia needs help with her meals, activity planning and problem solving.
While she has grown in many ways, transportation is a big challenge for Sophia. She will never be able to drive. It is hard for her to visit her friends, who have similar challenges. We believe that having a community where Sophia could be safe and also be able to do more things on her own would make her very happy.
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Our daughter, Sarah, is 30 years old. She lives with her parents who are in their mid-60’s. Sarah lives with multiple disabilities including developmental / intellectual delays, mild cerebral palsy and autism.
Her favorite day activities are dog walking for neighbors and volunteering at Sister Carmen Food Bank. She works and volunteers throughout Boulder County.
When Sarah isn’t cheering on the CU Buffs basketball team, she is participating in the City of Boulder EXPAND Program. She looks forward to weekends with friends, especially sleepovers and bowling on Sundays. She has a great sense of humor. Sarah needs support in her daily living skills. Although she enjoys eating, she is a terrible cook!
Sarah has a twin brother who lives in New York. They Facetime often.
LIFE IS GOOD for Sarah and will be MUCH better when she’s living close to friends, JUST LIKE HER TWIN BROTHER!
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Our daughter, Elizabeth, is 37 years old. She is an only child. Lizzy has IDD and a speech delay. Her parents are in their late 60’s.
Lizzy works at the YMCA, ARC Thrift Store and Hearts N Hands. She rides the RTD independently to ARC and EBCC, but needs support at busy intersections. When Lizzy is not working, she is participating in the City of Boulder EXPAND program, CU Best Buddies, Special Olympics, Adams Camp, ARC University, Beyond Limits, Friends of Broomfield and more.
Lizzy is very social. She likes to talk on the phone, spend time with friends, shop at the ARC, plan vacations and rearrange her room.
Lizzy can do her own laundry. She needs help with meals, transportation, setting up social gatherings.
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Bella is 24 years old and has developmental disabilities. She lives at home with her parents who are in their 50’s.
Bella works in paid positions in the community. She also volunteers regularly. She enjoys riding the bus independently to and from work.
Bella is very social. She participates in many recreational activities including therapeutic horseback riding, a performing arts group, basketball, and the local Special Olympics swim team. She also enjoys playing ice hockey with the Colorado Ice Wizards, a hockey team for people with special needs. needs.
Bella continues to need some supervision, including help with meals, organizing her activities, and problem solving. solving. Bella wants to live in a safe, affordable community with her friends.
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This is Olivia. She is 15 years old. Olivia is adopted from China.
We worry a lot about who will care for her when we can no longer. My husband and I are 60 and 59 years old. We come from a very small family which is spread throughout the world.
Olivia enjoys horseback riding, walking her dog Mei Mei, reading, watching cooking shows and playing Mind Craft. She likes being around animals, bugs and digging up worms.
She says she would like to be a Vet. She says she can’t wait to be old enough to drive a car, get her own pet and marry her younger brother.
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Becky is 33 years old and lives with her parents who are in their 60’s and 70’s. She enjoys horseback riding and many of the activities at the local Parks and Recreation department. She is an engaging young woman who enjoys spending time with friends in her various activities.
She likes to work at Hearts and Hands in Boulder, especially making jewelry, and also likes her days off when she bowls and swims. Becky loves her dog, Scout, and the Colorado Buffs, Broncos and Rockies.
Becky has a younger brother who moved out of the house many years ago and she was quite sad that she could not do the same. We believe she would thrive even more if she would be able to live in her own home and have her friends nearby, just as her brother has enjoyed.