Keys to Community July 2026 | Monthly Notes

Writer: Angela Hollingsworth

July was a month of strengthening relationships, refining our vision, and preparing for the next phase of CommuniKeys.

While our students continued enjoying community adventures throughout Northern Colorado, much of this month's work focused on building the partnerships, organizational systems, and long-term planning that will allow CommuniKeys to continue growing in meaningful and sustainable ways.

As always, our work remains grounded in communication access, purposeful participation, adult dignity, and creating opportunities for people to experience genuine belonging in their communities.

Student Experiences & Community Engagement

Summer programming continued with a wide variety of community experiences, including kayaking, pontoon boating, hiking, bowling, gardening, and other outings designed to encourage participation, confidence, and connection.

Throughout the month, we continued listening to students and families, using their feedback to shape future programming and explore additional opportunities across Northern Colorado.

Behind every activity is a larger goal. Whether we're out on the water, exploring a trail, caring for animals, or gathering around a meal, we're helping participants build familiarity, confidence, communication, and independence through repeated community experiences.

We also continued developing several new learning pathways, including outdoor mobility, adaptive cooking, agricultural learning, and future equine opportunities that will continue expanding over the coming months.

Participation isn't simply showing up. It is preparing, practicing, participating, reflecting, and building confidence one experience at a time.

Organizational Growth & Strategic Development

July included significant behind-the-scenes work focused on strengthening CommuniKeys for the future.

Development of the CommuniKeys Framework 2026 is nearing completion, bringing together the organizational philosophy, Life Scaffold Model, Participation Pathway, and guiding principles that shape everything from programming to partnerships.

We also continued improving the systems that support our daily operations, including participant registration, RSVP management, communication, and program planning.

Our website continues to evolve with updated program information, improved event registration, and resources that better support families, volunteers, and community partners.

This month we also completed our Candid nonprofit transparency profile, an important milestone that strengthens CommuniKeys' visibility and credibility with foundations and grantmakers as we pursue future funding opportunities.

At the same time, we have continued exploring sustainable ways to communicate the value of our programming. While we are not yet implementing a formal membership or billing structure, we have begun developing an internal point-based system that helps us better understand the staffing, preparation, safety, and community resources involved in each experience. This work will strengthen future grant reporting and help demonstrate the true impact of our programs.

Partnerships & Community Collaboration

One of CommuniKeys' greatest strengths continues to be the incredible community willing to collaborate alongside us.

This month we continued strengthening relationships with:

• Colorado State University's Temple Grandin Equine Center

• CSU Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center

• Colorado Youth Outdoors

• Loveland Youth Gardeners

• Local businesses and community volunteers

  
  

Each partnership expands opportunities for our participants while helping build a stronger network of inclusive organizations throughout Northern Colorado.

We also continued sharing the CommuniKeys Collaborator Guide with community partners to encourage communication access, presumption of competence, and respectful, individualized support for every participant.

Looking Ahead

August will be an exciting month for CommuniKeys.

Our team is preparing for Sunday Sound Garden: Keys for CommuniKeys on August 9, our largest fundraising event of the year. Every ticket purchased, every social media share, every volunteer, and every conversation helps introduce more people to our mission and strengthens future programming.

We're also looking ahead to fall as we continue developing community mobility programming, adaptive cooking opportunities, equine partnerships, and expanded outdoor learning experiences.

Behind every new partnership, every grant application, every website update, and every community outing is the same vision: creating a community where autistic adults and adults with disabilities have meaningful opportunities to communicate, participate, contribute, and belong.

Thank you to every family member, volunteer, donor, partner, and supporter who continues building that community with us.

Angela Hollingsworth

Executive Director, CommuniKeys

Keys to Community June 2026 | Monthly Notes

June was a month of movement, momentum, and meaningful next steps for CommuniKeys.

This month brought together active summer programming, adaptive recreation, new mobility planning, fundraising progress, and important behind-the-scenes infrastructure work. As we continue growing, our focus remains the same: building scaffolded pathways for communication access, sensory accessibility, adult dignity, purposeful movement, and meaningful participation in community life.

Student Experiences & Community Engagement

• Continued summer programming through kayaking, pontoon boating, hiking, bowling, and other community-based excursions, creating opportunities for students to participate in real-world settings with support, flexibility, and purpose.

• Successfully hosted our June 24 adaptive biking event with the National Sports Center for the Disabled, giving students and families a chance to explore adaptive cycling, equipment options, comfort levels, and future mobility opportunities.

• Began deeper planning around adaptive biking, pedestrian safety, bike readiness, and community navigation as part of a broader mobility pathway for non-speaking autistic adults.

• Continued exploring new activity ideas across Northern Colorado, including outdoor spaces, community destinations, recreation opportunities, and quieter places where students can connect with peers.

• Continued refining RSVP systems to help support staffing, preparation, safety planning, and more consistent activity communication.

June reflected what we continue to believe: participation is not just attendance. It is access, practice, preparation, confidence, contribution, and belonging.

Organizational Growth & Strategic Development

• Received an intent to award notice from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment for the New & Innovative Ideas grant. While we are awaiting the official award documents, this is an encouraging step toward developing a Pedestrian and Bike Mobility School for non-speaking autistic adults.

• Began working with Heather Ackart of DriveWays to support planning for the mobility program model, including documentation, staffing considerations, outcomes, and service structure.

• Secured CommuniKeys’ employee and operations insurance coverage, including important organizational protections needed to support continued growth, staffing, programming, and community-based participation.

• Published the Omar Zuberi memorial donation page, creating a meaningful way for friends, family, and community members to honor Omar’s connection to CommuniKeys while supporting students and programs.

• Continued financial sustainability planning, including preparation for membership-based programming and a point-based activity model that reflects staffing, preparation, safety considerations, supplies, partner costs, and support needs.

• Advanced Sunday Sound Garden: Keys for CommuniKeys, our first major fundraiser of the year. The contract with The Lyric is signed, the event poster is complete, social media promotion has started, tickets are available through The Lyric, and a shareable event page is live on the CommuniKeys website.

• Continued building internal systems for scheduling, staff coordination, RSVP tracking, activity planning, and program communication.

This behind-the-scenes work matters. Strong systems help CommuniKeys grow responsibly, protect the people we serve, and create programs that are not just meaningful in the moment, but sustainable over time.

Looking Ahead

July will focus on implementation.

We will continue summer programming, move forward with kayaking and outdoor participation opportunities, continue planning the mobility program framework, advance membership-based programming, and promote Sunday Sound Garden: Keys for CommuniKeys.

We are also continuing to welcome community support. Sharing Sunday Sound Garden on social media, purchasing tickets, helping distribute posters, donating, or connecting us with local businesses and supporters all help CommuniKeys move this work forward.

June reminded us that growth happens in many forms: a student trying an adaptive bike, a group getting out on the water, a new grant opportunity, a donation page going live, insurance systems being secured, or a community partner helping us imagine what access could look like next.

At CommuniKeys, all of those steps matter.

Thank you for walking alongside us.

Angela Hollingsworth

Executive Director, CommuniKeys

Keys to Community May 2026 | Monthly Notes

May was a month of rebuilding, planning, and strengthening the systems that make meaningful participation possible.

While April brought visible momentum through the Sensory Summit and expanding community partnerships, May focused on the behind-the-scenes infrastructure required for responsible growth: staffing structure, summer programming, insurance, safety systems, garden-based participation, financial sustainability, and the next stage of CommuniKeys’ program model.

As we grow, our focus remains the same: building scaffolded pathways for communication access, sensory accessibility across all eight sensory systems, adult dignity, purposeful movement, and meaningful participation in community life.

Student Experiences & Community Engagement

• Continued Seeds to Salsa through both the Loveland Youth Gardeners site and the CommuniKeys Hub garden, supporting outdoor routines, food systems learning, sensory engagement, responsibility, and community connection.

• Continued inviting families and students to visit the Loveland garden as a peaceful community space where they can enjoy the gardens, help keep our garden alive, visit the chickens, and spend time near a beautiful Loveland park.

• Continued developing the CommuniKeys Hub garden as a hands-on learning and participation space where students can observe growth, care for plants, and contribute to shared outdoor spaces.

• Continued planning summer programming, including community outings, lake or beach days, hikes, rock climbing, Open Rec, movement-based activities, adaptive cycling, and partner-supported opportunities.

• Continued developing future Conversation Corner activities in response to the need for supported sit-down conversation, peer connection, shared interests, and structured social participation.

• Advanced planning for a June 24 adaptive bike event, which will help us better understand student interest, equipment needs, confidence levels, and future opportunities for adaptive cycling and mobility programming.

• Continued development of the Temple Grandin Equine Center partnership as a structured participation pathway focused on sensory exploration, repeated exposure, regulation, communication access, and meaningful engagement in an equine environment.

May reflected an important truth at the center of CommuniKeys’ work: participation is not just about showing up. It is about access, practice, support, confidence, and belonging.

Organizational Growth & Strategic Development

• Began restructuring the previous Activities Coordinator role, with Angela, Chris, and Colin temporarily absorbing those responsibilities while CommuniKeys evaluates the next stage of program planning support.

• Continued exploring a future Program Planner role that may include stronger occupational therapy alignment, sensory-informed planning, documentation, and structured support for meaningful participation.

• Moved forward with insurance, risk-management planning, staff expectations, activity preparation standards, and safety protocols to support responsible community-based programming.

• Received a conditional $500 Connecting Community Micro Grant from Larimer County to support emergency preparedness work focused on non-speaking autistic adults and their families.

• Began developing a membership-based activity model to support long-term financial sustainability. CommuniKeys will spend June building this structure, with the goal of beginning implementation during the first week of July.

• Confirmed our first major fundraiser of the year: the Keys for CommuniKeys Concert on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

• Continued strengthening the connection between daily programming, long-term sustainability, donor support, and the broader CommuniKeys Life Scaffolding framework.

This behind-the-scenes work matters. Strong systems help CommuniKeys grow responsibly, protect the people we serve, and create programs that are not just exciting in the moment, but sustainable over time.

Financial Sustainability & Community Support

June will be an important month for CommuniKeys as we develop a membership model for regular activities.

This step is necessary for long-term sustainability. Recurring programming requires staffing, preparation time, insurance, communication, documentation, safety planning, partner coordination, and administrative support.

At the same time, membership revenue alone will not be enough.

CommuniKeys continues to need donor support to keep programming accessible, develop new pathways before they are fully funded, and build the infrastructure required for long-term impact.

Philanthropic support helps us fund:

• Sensory-accessible community outings

• Adaptive movement and mobility opportunities

• Garden-based programming

• Communication access supports

• Staff preparation and training

• Safety systems and documentation

• Partnership development

• Reduced barriers for families whenever possible

As CommuniKeys grows, funding remains one of our most urgent needs.

Save the Date: Keys for CommuniKeys Concert

CommuniKeys has confirmed its first major fundraiser of the year:

Keys for CommuniKeys ConcertSunday, August 9, 2026

This event will support the next stage of CommuniKeys programming, including summer activities, membership development, sensory-accessible community participation, staffing, safety systems, and continued program growth.

The event poster is currently in development, and student artwork will be included as part of the creative process. Students who still need to submit artwork may send a photo of their completed piece to Angela.

More details will be shared soon. For now, we invite families, donors, partners, and community members to save the date and help us make this first major fundraiser of the year a strong step forward for CommuniKeys.

Looking Ahead

June will focus on finalizing the summer calendar, developing the membership model, preparing for July implementation, continuing Seeds to Salsa, hosting the June 24 adaptive bike event, developing Conversation Corner, and moving forward with equine partnership planning.

We will also continue strengthening the systems that support responsible growth: safety protocols, staff preparation, documentation, family communication, partnership development, and funding strategy.

May reminded us that growth does not always look public or polished. Sometimes it looks like building systems, clarifying roles, tending gardens, writing protocols, planning calendars, asking families what students want to do next, and preparing for the next sustainable step.

At CommuniKeys, all of those steps matter.

Thank you for walking alongside us.

Angela Hollingsworth

Executive Director, CommuniKeys