Laradon Hall

Laradon Hall sits on a 10-acre campus in Denver's Globeville neighborhood and has been supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1948, being started by Joseph and Elizabeth Calabrese because of Larry and Donald, their own children, and the place has always tried to make life better for children, teenagers, and adults who need extra help to live their best lives, so you see all kinds of folks here-students from over 24 school districts in The Laradon School for ages 5-21, young people in the Calabrese Youth Center for ages 11-21, and adults, some older, in Adult Day Programs or living in Community Living/Residential arrangements if independence in daily life's the goal. There's a focus on offering real choices like Laradon Individual Employment and Work Teams, day programs with learning and skill-building, and community projects so people can get work experience if that's what they want, and The Volunteer and Special Events Manager stays busy finding ways for folks to get involved, while Spanish-speaking families get bilingual help, and families with small children up to age three can rely on the Family, Infant and Toddler program for therapy services. A Board of Directors drawn from the local community guides things overall, while a Director of Facilities and Transportation manages the property and gets people to group activities because access matters. Staff include specialists in everything from positive reinforcement to on-site nursing, so those with severe autism, Down syndrome, mental health problems, or medical conditions can get the care or behavior help they need, and the legal side stays buttoned up with ADA, Title VI, and privacy policies being followed. You'll find volunteer opportunities for people who want to give their time, plus specific fundraising programs, a Foundation for donations, and for complete openness about where dollars go, Laradon keeps a current 990 form on file and makes sure 100% of donations go directly to the programs, not extras. If a person wants to enroll, the Placement Department's there to help, and before somebody can join, funding verification's needed, often coming from the Colorado Department of Education for kids or the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing Division for adults. Support goes further than daily care, offering speech and occupational therapy, counseling to understand benefits, and a lot of learning activities-music, arts, light exercise, outings to community events-anything that helps someone feel engaged and included in everyday life. There are outreach events like Disability Awareness Day and Corks for a Cause, and the campus even hosts partners like Sewall and Habitat for Humanity. Over the years, Laradon's broadened what it does, but at its heart, the mission remains clear: embrace differences, support independence, and provide personalized, safe care, whether someone's five or eighty-five.