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

Keys to Community April 2026 | Monthly Notes

April was a month of momentum, connection, and visible growth for CommuniKeys.

This month brought together several major pieces of our work: the launch of our first Sensory Summit: Education Edition, continued growth in community-based programming, new partnership commitments, and steady behind-the-scenes work to strengthen the systems that support long-term sustainability.

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

Student Experiences & Community Engagement

• Continued weekly programming, including Open Recreation, Keys & Pints, rock climbing, and Seeds to Salsa, supporting consistent opportunities for students to participate in adult-centered community life.

• Continued developing Grow & Gather as a primary program area focused on garden-based learning, food systems, outdoor engagement, and scaffolded participation.

• Strengthened Seeds to Salsa through continued partnership with Loveland Youth Gardeners and hands-on garden work at the CommuniKeys Hub.

• Continued building opportunities where students can participate through planting, observing, watering, harvesting, preparing, documenting, and contributing to shared spaces.

• Advanced planning for an Adaptive Cycling and Mobility Pathway, including a signed agreement with the National Sports Center for the Disabled for a June adaptive cycling kickoff event in Fort Collins.

• Continued shaping outdoor participation opportunities with Colorado Youth Outdoors and Outdoor Buddies, with future programming focused on accessible outdoor recreation, caregiver learning, and supported participation.

• Hosted the first CommuniKeys Sensory Summit: Education Edition, a three-day virtual event focused on communication access, sensory regulation, purposeful movement, and meaningful inclusion.

  
  

April reflected what we continue to believe: participation is not just about showing up. It is about access, practice, confidence, and belonging.

Organizational Growth & Strategic Development

• Hosted the first annual Sensory Summit: Education Edition from April 28–30, bringing together speakers, families, educators, advocates, and community members for three days of shared learning.

• Began preparing Summit recordings and materials for a post-event resource library, allowing families, caregivers, professionals, and supporters to continue learning beyond the live event.

• Formalized a partnership with the National Sports Center for the Disabled to support adaptive cycling access for CommuniKeys students and families.

• Continued developing a collaborative outdoor participation framework with Colorado Youth Outdoors and Outdoor Buddies, with future grant opportunities in mind.

• Submitted and refined grant requests connected to outdoor participation, mobility access, garden programming, and long-term program development.

• Continued strengthening organizational infrastructure, including insurance planning, risk-management preparation, training expectations, documentation systems, and financial compliance.

• Reviewed our 2025 tax documentation as part of our ongoing commitment to responsible stewardship and nonprofit transparency.

• Continued exploring future program partnerships, including equine-based participation opportunities and additional outdoor life skills pathways.

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.

Looking Ahead

May will focus on carrying this momentum forward.

We will continue preparing Sensory Summit resources, expanding Grow & Gather and Seeds to Salsa, planning the June adaptive cycling launch, and strengthening outdoor participation pathways with community partners.

We are also continuing the steady work of building the infrastructure needed for growth, including funding strategies, documentation, training, insurance, and partnership development.

April reminded us that meaningful growth happens in many ways. Sometimes it looks like a major public event. Sometimes it looks like a signed agreement, a garden bed, a grant draft, a student trying something new, or a partner saying yes to building something together.

At CommuniKeys, all of those steps matter.

Thank you for walking alongside us.

Angela HollingsworthExecutive Director, CommuniKeys