Our Own Lives

12/30/2025

We're closed tomorrow and the day after to ring in the new year!
Wishing you a successful 2026 and we'll see you next year! Thank you for being part of our community.

#2026

12/29/2025

Planned communities for people with intellectual disabilities are often sold as progress. They come with glossy brochures and careful language: safety, belonging, independence, “community.”

And I understand the appeal. Families are tired of waiting lists, crisis placements, and broken supports. When the system fails this badly, anything stable can feel like hope.

And yes, there may be people who want to live in a setting like this. Some may prefer being near others or having supports close by. The problem isn’t that this option exists. The problem is what happens when it becomes the option. How many people truly choose this, and how many accept it because other real choices were never built, funded, or offered?

Choice isn’t real when it’s “take this or have nothing.” It isn’t real when individualized supports in ordinary neighbourhoods are unavailable. And it isn’t real when safety is used to justify segregation.

We also need to talk about power. Parents are often the driving force behind planned communities, acting out of deep love, fear, and exhaustion. Their advocacy can move governments and unlock funding in ways their sons and daughters cannot. But this places people with intellectual disabilities in a difficult position: living in environments chosen for them, not always by them. When parental voices dominate planning, self-direction can quietly disappear, even when everyone believes they are doing the right thing.

Planned communities also send a message to the rest of society: “Don’t worry. We’ve taken care of them.” It relieves the neighbourhood, the employer, and the community from having to learn how to include. It allows exclusion to remain intact, and simply builds an alternate world for the people who are excluded.

But inclusion is not a disability service. Inclusion is a community responsibility.

We don’t need “a community for them.” We need a world that makes room. That means ordinary homes, individualized supports, flexible funding, and support teams that follow the person rather than buildings that require the person to fit the program.

We already have communities.

What we lack is the will to share them.
..

ID: Image shows plans for a planned community for people with intellectual disabilities in a very isolated location. Text reads: People with intellectual disabilities...? "Don't worry. We've taken care of them."

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays to you and yours! ✨
Wishing you joy, love, and all the cozy vibes this beautiful season has to offer!

12/22/2025

In just a couple days, we'll be closing for the holidays!

We're taking some time to celebrate with family, reflect on this incredible year, and recharge for all the exciting things 2026 has in store!
Thank you for being part of our journey!

12/19/2025

It's hard to find the right words… so we'll just say thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

🎄✨ That’s a wrap on the Festival of Trees & Wreaths! ✨🎄

Thanks to you, this year’s festival was a huge success and a true celebration of community. Thousands of visitors filled the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum with holiday cheer, families flocked to the stunning wreath gallery in downtown Cortez, and our online auction buzzed all week with enthusiastic bidding and friendly competition.

Thanks to the incredible support of our sponsors, volunteers, and supporters, the festival raised more than $72,000 to help people with disabilities across Southwest Colorado lead full, healthy, and connected lives.

From all of us at Community Connections and Our Own Lives, thank you! 💚

Our Own Lives

12/18/2025

What a year it has been! In our first full calendar year of operating as an independent non-profit, Our Own Lives has achieved so much together.

Click through the images to see everything we accomplished ➡️

Thank you to our dedicated team, volunteers, supporters, and community members who made this possible!

12/17/2025

The most wonderful time of the year is almost here! 🎄

We'll be closed for the holidays so our team can enjoy quality time with loved ones and come back refreshed and ready to serve you even better in the new year. We're already excited about what's ahead!

12/12/2025

12/10/2025

Our Own Lives is excited and grateful to receive a grant from The Ballantine Family Fund this year!!! These funds will help us expand nontraditional therapeutic programming for people with disabilities in Durango.

We are excited to expand our partnership with UpRoutes, an Adventure Based Therapy program that is now operating in Southwest Colorado!

12/08/2025

As we approach the holiday season, we wanted to share our upcoming closure dates with you.

We'll be spending time with our loved ones and recharging for an amazing new year ahead!

12/07/2025

The auction closes in a few hours!!
Don’t miss out:
www.festivaloftreesandwreaths.com