A Place for Us -
Building Momentum – An inclusive center to elevate neurodiversity.
Our Progress
Watch this video tour with Dan Richardson, CEO, Ascendigo Autism Services to see the construction progress of our new building at 695 Buggy Circle in Carbondale, CO! While there is still more work to be completed, we are excited to celebrate this stage & offer a sneak preview in this video hard hat tour!
Our Impact
Become a champion for a true neuro-inclusive community center in the Roaring Fork Valley
Ascendigo Autism Services has been serving the autism and neurodiverse community since 2004, and in those two decades the organization has become a leader in autism services in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond. Our flagship Summer Adventures Camp has served more than 1000 campers over 20 years, pushing individuals beyond their preconceived limitations and encouraging a full range of life experiences beyond the classroom or therapy setting.
Campers have built skills, friendships, and confidence as they shatter expectations. Ascendigo’s expansive programs also include clinical services in behavioral therapy, a full range of sports and therapeutic recreation activities, vocational training and job placement for adults with autism, school consultation, and effective partnerships with other community organizations.
At the core of our success lies The Ascendigo Way, a person-centered and relationship-based approach to service delivery that allows us to bring out the best in our clients and our staff. While Ascendigo has realized successful outcomes for thousands of individuals throughout our history, we have operated without a permanent home. Now, we have the opportunity to deepen our roots in an ideal location in the Roaring Fork Valley, allowing us to better serve our community and grow our impact.
With your help, we will create a permanent place for us.
The Spaces
The build out of Ascendigo’s first permanent home in downtown Carbondale represents a crucial first step to providing the top-level services the neurodivergent community deserves, right in the Roaring Fork Valley. But there is much more work to do.
Ascendigo’s ultimate goal is to own the physical infrastructure and facilities that best serve the autism and disability community with the full-range of therapeutic and clinical services we provide. The completion of the building at 695 Buggy Circle is a very important first step.
- ACE Fun Zone
- Climbing Wall
- Sensory Playroom
- Art Spaces
- ADA Teaching Kitchen
- Therapy Rooms
- Vocational Labs
- Ascendigo Offices
- Chill Zone
- Elevator
- Training Room
- ADA and Toddler Restrooms
The Vision
Ascendigo will continue to seek out best practices in supporting those with autism and other disabilities. We will never settle for a one-size-fits-all approach to working with our unique clients. In our new space, clients will receive therapies and clinical services that are evidence-based and demonstrate the most promising results. But they will also “learn by doing” in supportive settings surrounded by friends and staff who are innovators in their field, exploring new avenues for success.
With a teaching kitchen, a vocational lab, art spaces, and training rooms, each area of our new space will be infused with learning.
Play not only brings joy, but it facilitates learning. Colorful, interactive play spaces will encourage exploration and curiosity as well as social and emotional awareness.
Sensory overload is a fact of life, so sensory support is built into all program spaces.
Service providers and teachers of all kinds will be welcomed and encouraged at our new space. The center will be filled with inviting spaces to socialize, to host service providers on site, and to hold classes taught by teachers from the community, creating an inclusive space to gather and build community.
Ascendigo has twenty years of experience and extensive knowledge to share. With dedicated training space, we will bring The Ascendigo Academy to partners and community members, encouraging a more inclusive community for all.
As most families touched by disability know, it is hard to feel at home in public spaces. Ascendigo will be a place for all, where individuals will be accepted, embraced, and supported for exactly who they are. Parents and family members will find respite, and those with neurodiversity will find belonging.
We are a clear leader in recreational therapy, as evidenced by our nationally respected Summer Camp program and other recreational therapy programs. A ranch facility, complete with amenities such as an equestrian facility, trails, gardens, playing fields, and lodging for summer campers is in our sights. This will allow for “ground-up” service design to serve the autism community and will serve as a model for what service provision for the disability community can and should be. It will also allow Ascendigo operational efficiencies to ensure the long-term sustainability of our recreational therapy programs.
Your gift to the Campaign for Ascendigo is truly a down payment on the future of Ascendigo. This gift will not only ensure a successful build out of the new building but will ensure we have the resources to continue to grow our facilities into the future.
Your investment will help us to serve more people, with deeper impact. Our visionary goal remains:
$3,150M …………………… Building purchase
$175K ………………………. Architectural, engineering, and consultants
$2,925M ………………….. Build out
$150K ………………………. Furniture, fixtures, and equipment
$6,400,000 TOTAL
Victoria MacFarlane, Chief Development Officer
vmacfarlane@ascendigo.org
Click HERE to view our Case for Support
Click HERE to view:
Floor Plan, Naming Opportunities & Pledge Form
Stories from the Trail...
“Ascendigo quickly became a high point in Maia’s year. At home, she prefers to be on her iPad, but at camp she happily goes wakeboarding, horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, and more.
We credit the amazing coaches and staff with motivating her to undertake and have fun with activities she wouldn’t otherwise do. When she comes back from camp, she is distinctly more chatty, talking about what she did and who she saw (including dogs and horses).
When she was a child, we were amazed that there was a sleepaway camp for Maia where she could safely participate with peers in the outdoor activities that make summer camp so memorable.
We are grateful that Ascendigo is a place where she can continue to go and that it remains a part of her community.”
Linda — Maia’s mother
“Our daughter Olivia started attending Ascendigo when she was just a little girl. We would fly from Seattle to Aspen every summer and winter so she could attend the outdoor adventure camps.
Olivia is severely autistic, nonverbal, and just celebrated her 22nd birthday. Olivia now participates in Ascendigo’s adult programs. Ascendigo has been one of the few consistencies in Olivia’s life. They can and do support her in a way no other organization can.
In the Life Enrichment program, Olivia not only enjoys the great outdoors, she is learning important life skills, including how to navigate within the community. The commitment and knowledge of the Ascendigo team has been vital to our entire family. As our daughter continues to thrive at Ascendigo, we are beyond grateful for the opportunities opened up in our daughter’s world.”
Julie — Olivia’s mother
“Our son Cort, now 13, first attended Ascendigo’s summer adventure camp last year. His self-confidence grew on the first day of camp when he rode a horse for the first time. Later that night, for the first time in his life, he expressed his wish to simply say goodnight to us, close the door, and put himself to sleep. Honestly, we didn’t believe him. Much to his annoyance, we proceeded to do our usual bedtime routine. The second day of camp, Cort wake-surfed and kayaked all for the first time. That night there was no mistaking what Cort wanted. He gave us a kiss, said ‘good night,’ and closed the door to his bedroom. We were stunned by our son’s confidence and independence. Cort’s confidence has continued to grow. This year he participated in (and won!) his first ski race, joined his school’s choir, and ran his first 5K race. Ascendigo broadened his horizons and Cort continues to amaze us with each new first. Ascendigo’s methods of teaching go far beyond learning a new skill—they translate to so many aspects of Cort’s life.”
Allison — Cort’s mother
2024 Mission Film
