General Colorado Center Information

Marcus arrived at the Colorado Center for the Blind and, as some have observed, “stirred things up.” With a resilient attitude and a can-do approach, he tackled every challenge in woodshop, the kitchen, travel, challenge recreation—and wowed us all.

Here are a few moments from his time at the Center:

Richie’s been at the Center in our Independence Training Program for a couple of months now. A former student in our summer youth program, he hit the ground running in January. Here are two videos. The first about his gift to Locks of Love. In the second, he’s on the slopes at Lake Eldora, the footage captured by his skit guide with the Center’s GoPro camera.

Monday afternoons our art class meets with our long-time teacher and friend Ann Cunningham to make tactile are pieces from stone, clay, paper or whatever creative fancy strives to take flight.

Shelby will graduate next month, and she’s been a fixture in art class since last fall. Here she is with her latest art project, titled “Beacon”. She started out to make the two maroon ducks sitting on their lime green nest, but along the way got the idea of a kind of lamp, its light shining from one of their mouths. So after she fired and lazed the piece, she went out to the hardware store to get the wiring and put it all together. Creativity, we may observe, is a process.

And so, it is a beacon!

Alyssa recently finished her mini-meal. Let her tell you about it.

Petr was Residential Manager when Nikita’s brother Mike was a student at the Center. Nikita Reid was our special visitor at the Center today – all the way from Georgia. Her younger brother, Mike Parks-Reid was a student at the Center beginning with the 2013 Summer Program until the end of February 2014. That’s when Mike went home to resume medical treatment in Georgia. He passed away in June of that year.

Petr K. was Residential Manager when Mike was a student, and he gave Nikita a tour of the Center and showed her our apartments where Mike had lived.

The photos show Nikita and Petr in the lobby, and a grad photo of Mike smiling and holding his bell. He’s sitting down with Julie because he was so sick.

Nikita tells us she still has Mike’s Freedom Bell.

“It will stay with me for a very long time,” she says.

We’re glad about that. Mike’s memory has stayed with those of us who knew him here, and we appreciate the chance to remember him and talk about him with his sister today!

The Colorado Center for the Blind Youth Programs have been busy in 2016. Brent and others continue to make twice-monthly visits to the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind as part of our ongoing mentoring partnership with CSDB. In January, We worked with 22 students combined in both the Bridges to Life Program and in middle school. The focus for the month was about fitness and we had the kids moving while learning how the foods they eat affect them. Students Activities included jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups and running in the gym.

Julie Hunter and ITP student Kierra proctored the Varsity group for the 2016 Braille Challenge.

Henry Butler performance

Date and Time: Thursday, 02/18/2016 – 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Littleton Campus – Waring Theatre (M2900)

Arapahoe Community College and the Colorado Center for the Blind will welcome acclaimed musician Henry Butler to the ACC Littleton campus on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. in the Waring Theatre.

The evening will begin with a “meet the artist” session from 6:30 – 7:10 p.m., followed by Butler’s performance from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Butler will tour the Colorado Center for the Blind earlier in the day.

Considered the premier exponent of the great New Orleans jazz and blues piano tradition, Butler is a ten-time Pinetop Perkins (formerly W. C. Handy) Best Blues Instrumentalist Award nominee. A rich amalgam of jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, blues and R&B, his music is as excitingly eclectic as that of his New Orleans birthplace.

Lian told us the story of a curious child from China. We knew who she was talking about. Here Julie presents her Certificate of Achievement.

We said farewell to Lian, who returned to Beijing in December. One of her last accomplishments was in the public speaking class when she told us of the child born in Shanghai with disabilities who was so curious that she often took things apart to find out about them.

That certainly rings true. Lian’s indomitable spirit carried her through the challenges of the Center’s training. She was only able to be with us for three months, but she was excited to return to China with new things to share.

Gwendolyn finished at the Center in December and returned to Arizona. With her she took new skills and confidence and a plan to investigate the Business Enterprise Program.

We all know what a wonderful cook she is – Braille, travel and tech were her training goals while she was with us. We wish her luck in her new ventures and … please let us know when “Gwendolyn’s Place” becomes a reality!