The Surge is a VA-led event in El Paso County focused on housing unsheltered veterans. The all-day event provides same-day access to interim housing, connections to permanent housing, meals, phones, medical care, and other resources. RMHS’s Homes for All Veterans team will be on-site to support throughout the day.
Join RMHS’s Early Intervention team for a toilet training presentation in Spanish on Wednesday, September 24, from 4:30–5:30 p.m. Board Certified Behavior Analyst Aaron Acosta will lead this free 60-minute session on readiness and practical strategies.
Is your child a picky eater? Join RMHS's Denver Early Steps for a free virtual class designed for and open to families with children ages 0–3 living in the City and County of Denver. Discover how to distinguish between typical picky eating and more serious feeding concerns, learn effective strategies to broaden your child’s food choices, and get practical tips to make mealtimes better.
Join RMHS's Denver Early Steps for a free virtual sign language class designed for and open to families with children ages 0–3 who live in the City and County of Denver. Learn how to use everyday sign language to support communication with your child, and discover ways to model and practice signs together in daily routines.
Join RMHS for the largest gathering in Colorado celebrating individuals with Down syndrome, along with their families and friends. This event promotes awareness and acceptance through a fun walk, helpful resources, and strong community connections.
Join RMHS at Walk With Autism, a community celebration that brings together children, adults, families, and supporters. This fun event includes a walk honoring Autism and a resource fair featuring organizations dedicated to providing support, services, and Autism-focused programs.
Join RMHS at Sensory Dayz, a free and family-friendly resource fair with activities for all ages! Caregivers can discover community resources and connect with local service providers, while kids enjoy arts, crafts, and fun interactive activities.
In this special Back-to-School Edition of the Community Newsletter, Rocky Mountain Human Services (RMHS) is here to help families feel confident and prepared. We’ve created two easy-to-use guides packed with essential information and resources to support your student’s success both inside and outside the classroom. Inside the resources, you'll find food resources, after-school enrichment and tutoring options, IEP and Special Education resources, advocacy and support for families with disabilities, and more! Thanks for reading!
As the school year gets underway, RMHS is here to support your family with resources designed to help students succeed in and out of the classroom.
Supporting a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) often comes with unique considerations, whether you're starting a new school year, managing daily routines, or planning for the next step in your child’s education.
Mara Kailin is a licensed bilingual clinical psychologist with extensive experience in behavioral health treatment with underserved and diverse populations, as well as administrative and leadership experience with a large nonprofit organization. Dr. Kailin currently serves as the Chief Clinical Officer at Aurora Mental Health Center with oversight of approximately 700 staff in nearly 50 different programs in dozens of clinics in the community. She has a PsyD from Rutgers University and a BA from Wesleyan.
Jose is currently the Co-Executive Director of El Grupo Vida, a member of the Developmental Disabilities Council, Chairman of the COPA board of directors, and wears other hats. For the 14 years prior he served as the Information Technology Manager, and a Volunteer Non-Attorney Advocate & Volunteer Lobbyist for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC).
Jose brings his expertise with IT from 14 years of experience as an Independent Contractor and serving in other technical roles. With degrees in Advanced Computer & Internet Systems and International Law, certification as a Non-Attorney Advocate by CCDC, and multilingual communication in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, as well as legal language, Jose offers a strong ability to analyze and comprehend various communications. In addition, Jose has also previously served as a participant of Participant Directed Programs Policy Collaborative (PDPPC) and many other boards and commissions for different state departments.
Jose spends a great deal of time reading about politics, geopolitics, current international affairs, sociology, applied physics and quantum physics, and enjoys watching movies, especially comedy, romantic comedy, martial arts and specific action-thrillers. Jose’s family spans from Guatemala to Norway, although still remains close. His nephew has undiagnosed Autism, which he found out while collaborating as a CCDC Non-Attorney Advocate with The Autism Society of Colorado.
Joseph Derdzinski is a senior international development and governance adviser, an associate professor of political science, and a member of organizations that promote the support of persons with developmental disabilities. Joseph earned his Doctor of Philosophy from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, a Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
His research and consulting interests center on the study of the political processes of post-authoritarian states, and how political institutions can be employed to reduce violence. Joseph served on observation missions for the recent, highly-fraught elections in Egypt and Afghanistan, and conducted and published research to help the Ukrainian government develop an accountable national guard. During the 2016-17 academic year, he taught courses on international politics, the politics of Africa, and comparative politics.
Prior to entering academe, Joseph was a U.S. Air Force officer, where he worked extensively with security service colleagues throughout northern Europe. He also led the first US military security detachment in Bosnia during NATO’s implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, where he worked with Bosnia’s security services in their post-conflict transition.
Stewart Tucker Lundy is a graduate of Howard University, and he brings a broad and deep history of community service to the RMHS board. Mr. Lundy is a board member and actor for the Phamaly Theatre Company. He served for six years on Blueprint Denver, a city planning, land use and transportation task force. Additionally, he served as a commissioner on the Denver Commission for Persons with Disabilities for five years.
Mr. Lundy was appointed to the RMHS Board beginning April 1, 2021.
Bill is currently a partner in the Denver Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer, and previously a partner in the Denver office of Armstrong Teasdale LLP and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Higher Education practice group, specializing in resolving difficult legal, policy and compliance issues for highly regulated entities. He has tried scores of cases and made appellate arguments to federal and state courts and administrative agencies around the country and has fifteen years of experience serving as general counsel for two companies. Bill has previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer for Alta Colleges, Inc., Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary for Valor Communications Group, Inc. and Corporate Counsel for US WEST Communications, Inc. In addition to his legal practice, Bill serves as Chairman of the Board of the Wayfaring Band, Inc. and is on the Board of Directors of Colorado UpLift. Bill earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration, specialization in Accounting, from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is married with 4 children and lives in the Greenwood Village area. Bill enjoys skiing, golfing, and cooking.
Lorin is the Executive Director and founding member of The Windmill School – a nonprofit, inclusive K-5 school where she is responsible for the development, launch, and implementation of school policies and procedures. Lorin received her Master’s in Education and Couples and Family Therapy from the University of Oregon. Prior to the Windmill school, Lorin worked as a project manager for the Aurora Mental Health Center.