You have to know where you have been in order to know where you are going.
Know All Men By These Presents: That we the undersigned citizens of the United States, have associated ourselves for the purpose of forming a body corporate and politic, not for pecuniary profit, under the provisions of Article 13, Chapter 41 1935 Colorado Statutes Annotated, as amended by Chapter 124, 1951 Session Laws, and we hereby make, execute and acknowledge this certificate in writing of our intentions to become a body corporate and politic and by virtue of said statute.
FIRST. The corporate name of our said Corporation shall be The Denver County Chapter of the National Association for Retarded Children.
SECOND. The object for which our said Corporation is formed and incorporated is for the purpose of
- To promote the general welfare. . .
- To further the advancement of study . .
- To develop better public understanding . . .
- To further the training and education of personnel . . .
- To encourage, aid and co-ordinate the work of local parent groups . . .
- To further the implementation of legislation . . .
- To serve as a clearing house for gathering and disseminating information and to foster the development of integrated programs . . .
- To solicit and receive funds for accomplishment of the above purposes.
THIRD. The affairs and management of our said Corporation are to be under the control of an executive committee consisting of seven members Philip M. Russell, Joseph V. Calabrese, Albert Kane, Rachel Ryan, Mr. William Samuels, Mrs. Myron Wydell.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, on the 12th day of May A.D. 1954.
Alfred Gallagher [SEAL]
Elizabeth M. Calabrese [SEAL]
Dorothey M. Kane [SEAL]
Shirley P. Samuels [SEAL]
Philip M. Russell [SEAL]
Joseph V. Calabrese [SEAL]
The purpose of our agency and how we forward our mission has not really changed in the past 70 years. In 1954 a team of parents served as the leaders of AdvocacyDenver. Looking through our archives we learned that in 1986 Bill Muth was the Board of Directors President and Cristine Boswell served as the Executive Director; in 1990 Josephine Fisher was the Board of Directors President and Terry Parks served as the Executive Director. In 1993 Carl Cignoni served as the Executive Director and Debra Stephen was the Board of Directors President; in 1977 Bill West served as the Executive Director and Bob Baca was the Board of Directors President. In 1980 Patricia Hale Killian was hired as the Executive Director for the agency. She was followed by Marcia Tewell and Aileen McGinley.
March 2018 Pamela Bisceglia was named Executive Director of ADVOCACYDENVER. The success of our organization has never been contingent on a single leader, but rather is the result of a talented team of professionals and volunteers working toward a shared goal. In 2024 Pamela had the honor of working with Linda Brooks, Michael Breeskin, Kaley Day, Seth Grove, Charlene Lawrence, Jennifer Levin, Jane Miyahara, Erika Montano, Melissa Palacio, Emily Park Friend, Heather Peters Jen Pringle, Jack Robinson, Michele Sandoval, Tony Sears and the ADVOCACYDENVER Board of Directors Mitch McKinney, Dan Rosenberg, Shauna Casement, Kent Olsen, Peggi O’Keefe, Donald Johnson, Raiko Johnson, Peggy Henninger, Hetty Pazos, Khoa Nguyen, Scott Baldermann, Don Morales and Ricky Garcia. Looking forward, we stand together to forward ADVOCACYDENVER’s mission:
To promote and protect the human rights of people with disabilities and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
