2011 Annual Meeting & SPARC Awards
This year's Annual Meeting and presentation of the SPARC Awards was a stirring event for all who attended. Members approved changes to the organization's bylaws, several board members were re-elected, and SPARC awards were presented to exceptional people working in the I/DD community. For details on the event, please read below.
2011 SPARC Award Winners!
The following people received SPARC Awards for their extraordinary achievements on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Awards were presented to the winners by the nominators at the Annual meeting on November 16, 2011.
SPARC Advocacy Award: Margaret “Peg” Thomas. Please click here to read the full speech honoring Peg Thomas.
SPARC Education Award: Donna Brovsky. Please click here to read the full speech honoring Donna Brovsky.
SPARC Community Champion Award: Dez Rubano. Please click here to read the full speech honoring Dez Rubano.
The SPARC Awards Committee wishes to thank everyone who submitted a nomination. They had many wonderful applications to review, and took a great deal of time and care in choosing the 2011 SPARC Award winners. All nominations were sent to the committee blind (with no identifying information on the nominees or the nominators) and the applications were scored individually. If you would like more information on the selection process, please feel free to contact Lori Ropa at 303.232.1338 or lori@arcjc.org.
Keynote Speaker Shea Tanis on Aging Caregivers and Supporting Siblings
In addition to our regular program, keynote speaker Shea Tanis spoke about the needs of aging caregivers caring for adults with I/DD, the challenges of siblings of persons with I/DD, including information on the Sibling Leadership Network, and presented on how we can all work together to create smoother transitions for adults being cared for by aging parents.
Shea is a researcher with the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities and is part of Dr. David Braddock’s State of the States in Developmental Disabilities research team. She is also a doctoral candidate in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) trainee at the KU Center on Developmental Disabilities, and a doctoral fellow at the Beach Center on Disability. In addition to her research-related activities, Shea serves on the Executive Board of the Sibling Leadership Network, a national organization with resources for siblings of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
If you are interested in learning more about sibling issues or being part of a local chapter of the Sibling Leadership Network, please contact Shea Tanis at Shea.Tanis@cu.edu.
Members Approve Bylaw Changes
During the annual meeting on November 16, 2011, members of the Arc- Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties voted to approve changes to the organization's bylaws. The final, approved version is listed below.
If you have any questions regarding the bylaws changes, please don’t hesitate to contact Lori Ropa, Executive Director at 303.232.1338 or lori@arcjc.org.
3 Board Members Re-Elected
The following Board Members were re-elected during the 2011 Annual Meeting:
Megan Peters is CEO of the Foothills Animal Foundation. She was appointed to The Arc’s board of directors in the fall of 2009. Megan has served on the Summit of Hope Committee and the 50th Anniversary Committee. She was re-elected for a second term.
Sherri Horan was appointed to The Arc’s board of directors in February 2007 and was elected to a second term in 2009. In 2010, she was elected by the Board to serve as Vice President. Sherri serves on the Governance Committee, Executive Committee and the 50th Anniversary Committee. She was re-elected for a third term.
Donna Gunnison is a self-advocate who joined The Arc’s board of directors in 2005 and was elected to a second term in 2008. Donna works at Target and is an active member and officer in Aktion Club and People First. She also serves on the 50th Anniversary and SPARC Award Committees. Per The Arc’s bylaws, she was re-elected for one year, having already served for seven years. The maximum term a board member can serve is 8 years.