Firefly Welcomes a New Leader 
Firefly is excited to announce the appointment of Jason Romero as Firefly's new executive director. Jason started with Firefly at the beginning of September and is already quickly getting up to speed. He is a skilled business leader, attorney, advocate for children's needs, father of three children and Denver native. An executive with 20 years experience leading and growing highly effective teams, he most recently led Centralized Global Operations as a vice president for Western Union. Prior to that he spent ten years with General Electric where he held roles of increasing responsibility in legal, risk, financial services, sales and operations where he ultimately served as an expatriate general manager for a division of GE Capital in Puerto Rico. While living in Puerto Rico he helped with the founding of a school for children with autism that is still in operation.
Extremely involved in his community, Jason has served on boards and corporate community action committees. He has also volunteered and raised funds to support special needs, youth, homelessness and the blind. He earned a bachelor's in business administration from the University of San Diego and a juris doctorate from the University of Colorado.
"I'm extremely excited to join the Firefly Family. It is my personal mission to make a positive difference in each of our kiddo's lives while helping unleash their fullest potential. We are currently providing services to 149 children and are looking forward to serving more children as we expand our services throughout the region. "
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Be Our Hero - Support Firefly on Colorado Gives Day on Dec 4
Wondering how you can support Firefly? Be our hero this December by considering us for your end of year giving and joining us for the third annual Colorado Gives Day celebration on December 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. Enjoy food from the Harvest Food Truck, cupcakes from The Denver Cupcake Truck, costume contests, entertainment and more - it's sure to be fun for heroes of all ages.
Additional details will be announced in the coming months. If you have questions, are interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event, do feel free to contact Jennifer (jjohnson@fireflyautism.org) or Lisa (llujan@fireflyautism.org) at 303-759-1192.
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Sensory Story Times
Several regional libraries are now offering special story times for children with special needs:
The Denver Public Library's monthly sensory story is geared toward children at the preschool developmental level with autism or other disabilities. Books are adapted to include interactive elements with lots of opportunities for movement and music. Sessions are 20-30 minutes long and start at 2 p.m. Prior to the event, parents will have an opportunity to talk to a librarian about their child's likes and dislikes. After story time, toys and drawing materials are available. As with any story time at the library, an adult must be present. Siblings and therapists are welcome. Registration is required - call 720-865-1306 or email chlref@denverlibrary.org to register or with questions. Upcoming dates are October 20, November 10 and December 15. All sessions are held at the Children's Pavilion at Central Library on 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway.
The Highlands Ranch Library (9292 Ridgeline Blvd) offers Sensory-Enhanced Story time for children on the autism spectrum as well as all differently-abled children at a preschool developmental level. These story times will include familiar storybook readings, songs, rhymes and finger plays, with added interactive and tactile features. These are offered twice a week at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. In October and December they're on Monday, and in November they're on Saturdays. Registration is required - call 303-791-7323 or visit DouglasCountyLibraries.org to register. Registered children must be accompanied by an adult. Siblings and medical therapists are welcome. |
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Can't into Can - Kiddo Accomplishments
With the help of the SaddleUp! Foundation, it only took two sessions for one of our kiddos to get on a horse. From taking 20 minutes to get on the horse (session one) to climbing right up and staying on the enter time (session two) our kiddos are ammazing.
It doesn't have to take a long time to see huge changes in a kiddo's life. One family told us their son has made more progress at Firefly in just two months then he did in a full year at his last placement. Not only is he making great strides in potty training but for the first time ever he wants to play and interact with his family rather than watch TV.
Imagine our excitement when one of our Early Childhood kiddos went from eating very few foods to eating raisons for the very first time. This same child thrilled us additionally when he said "outside" to his teachers for the first time ever.
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Dancin' Dreams Dance Class
Dancin' Dreams dance studio opened in September 2007 and offers a unique dance class created for children (ages 3-9) with special needs. The class includes some simple stretching and lots of creative movement. For more information visit www.dancindreams.com or call 303-755-0484. |
Thank you to Rita Coltrane and Signature Interiors, for sponsoring Firefly Autism to receive email marketing from Constant Contact, through their Cares4Kids program. Rita recognizes the relevance of this program to Firefly Autism and initiated sponsorship to enable the ongoing delivery of Sparks to our friends and families. |
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