April Tales from the Ranch

"Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated" Osho

Happy Spring, Friends!

As the sun is beginning to shine and the blooms are making an appearance, we are in the mood to celebrate! We are all collectively emerging from what has been a surreal, challenging, isolating roller coaster of a ride from which we've learned, grown and adjusted. I know that we are all ready to put on our dancing shoes, enjoy the warm weather and hug our friends and loved ones.

Our team at Tall Tales Ranch is so excited about this new day and we're bursting at the seams with the celebrations that surround us. We're gearing up for our annual, virtual Unapologetically Different Talent Show on August 7th and are thrilled to once again celebrate our ambassadors and all of their amazing talents.

As this remote/virtual life comes to a close, we're enthusiastic about the opportunities that in-person gathering will present. We can't wait to see our ambassadors in living color and to get out in the community for some adventuring.

We are also celebrating the first ambassador to join our Executive Board of Directors. Tony Saponaro has been a passionate member of our Young Professional Board and is now going to share his gifts with our board as we work to make TTR a reality.

We're expanding our efforts to bring vocational training and work opportunities via our soon to be purchased coffee trailer and, speaking of bursting and expanding, keep reading to learn about how our Tall Tales family is growing.

Life is good and is certainly worth celebrating! It is because of you and your dedication to our work that we have so much goodness surrounding us. We appreciate you, we couldn't do it without you and we're grateful that you're on this journey with us.

In gratitude,

Susan Mooney, Founder/Fairy Godmother
Tall Tales Ranch

Contact Susan

We've officially kicked off our Capital Campaign
In an ongoing effort to advance Tall Tales Ranch's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Tall Tales Board of Directors has brought on its first member from the I/DD community and adopted a new DEI policy (download the .pdf).
We've enjoyed some great PR lately! Check out a recent article in Be Local magazine.
If you drive by the property, you'll see some action! We are the fortunate recipients of dirt from neighboring building projects
Listen to Executive Director, Susan Mooney's, interview on Jonah Berger's He Walk Like a Cowboy podcast.

A WORD FROM SALLY

Upcoming in-person programming

After months of missing your beautiful faces, we are eagerly anticipating several socially distanced in-person programs for ambassadors this summer! We are currently in the planning stages of these events, so please keep an eye out for emails in the near future regarding details and registration. If you do not currently receive my ambassador announcements, please email me using the orange button and I'll add you to the list. Events will emphasize safety, adhere to all current guidelines regarding gatherings, and will include:

-An ambassador thank-a-thon at the TTR Office

-An outdoor park day at a local park in June

-A 6 week outdoor adventuring series in July and August

It is bittersweet to be wrapping up our year of virtual programming, as we celebrate our transition to what's next. Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in our virtual programming!

Young Professional Board

The TTR YPB is looking forward to a busy and productive summer. We are in the final phases of our search for a coffee trailer, will be conducting a new and exciting monthly peer donor drive, and will also be welcoming several new members onto the board in July.

Our growing family

In addition to eagerly awaiting that coffee trailer and our upcoming programs, my own family is also anticipating the arrival of our daughter, who will be born in August! She is rocking an extra chromosome, and based on the antics of her two older brothers, we are certain that having Down syndrome will be the least interesting thing about her.

-Sally McCance, Director of Programs

Contact Sally

A WORD FROM EMMA

It’s been such a joy to be welcomed onto this wonderful team and community we have here at Tall Tales Ranch. It's been such a great start to my time here at TTR and I am looking forward to meeting many of you in-person in the near future.

We are so excited to be looking ahead to our August virtual talent show and with this, we have opportunities to volunteer. To have a successful event, we are hoping to put together an impressive collection of silent auction items! If you are interested in volunteering to help with the collection of donations by doing direct asks to businesses or getting in contact with business owners you have a connection with, send me an email and I will get you all set up.

Contact Emma

A WORD FROM HEATHER

A GIANT "thank you" to all those who watched and supported our March "Lucky To Be Me" virtual event. We are so proud of the hard work our ambassadors put into the project. A special shout-out to Karen Whitehead of Fur Face Film for her guidance as we navigate this brave new COVID world of virtual connection, and to our event sponsors: RidgeGate, Ent Credit Union, Developmental Pathways, Karen and Joel Levitz, and Jennifer and Gregg LaBerge in honor of John Brunk. If you missed the show, you can click HERE to see it now!

We are thrilled to report that the capital campaign we kicked off in January is off to a great start, with nearly $4 million dollars in assets and $360,000 raised to date. Our thanks to founding supporters Sue and Brian Bell, Tom and Mary Rogers, and The Schoelzel Family Foundation for sharing our belief that inclusion and diversity matters.

Click HERE to learn more about the capital campaign that will bring this community to life.

We're looking ahead with absolute optimism at the seasons ahead, and we're so grateful to have you along with us.

- Heather Lauren Quiroga, Development Director

Contact Heather

Ambassador Spotlight - Karly Means

Many of you know Karly, who is a natural "PR" personality and great asset to the Tall Tales team as a wonderful representative of our ambassador community.

On March 27th, she was honored to represent TTR as a guest of Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet at an event celebrating Colorado women in public service, hosted by Denver Mayor Hancock. We thank them both, as well as Pam Kelly of Park Meadows, and event sponsors FEVO and the Denver Women's Sport Collective, for helping to give Tall Tales a voice at this event.

Photo (left) Karly with Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet

Photo (right) Karly with Mayors Michael Hancock and Jackie Millet

Everyone's favorite Tall Tales event will happen virtually again this year, and will once again feature our talented ambassadors, proving that ability knows no bounds.