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Colorado Gives Day: Featuring Aiden
November 17, 2025
Colorado Gives Day: Featuring Aiden
While most of the services Foothills Gateway provides are funded through Medicaid, many people we serve have needs that are unable to be met through Medicaid plans and payments (similar to insurance plans). Foothills Gateway maintains donor-supported funds that help us meet the needs of the people and families we serve by going beyond what Medicaid can provide.
With Medicaid cuts across the US, vulnerable communities are facing even greater barriers to essential healthcare and support services. Nonprofits like us are stepping in to fill the gaps, but we can’t do it alone.
This week we can’t wait for you to meet Aiden! He and his family were the recipient of some of these funds and were able to create a new experience for Aiden, one that he will remember for years to come.
Creating Brighter Tomorrows: For Aiden
Aiden is a 9-year-old who receives services here at Foothills Gateway! He is in third grade and lives with his parents, Kim and Brian, as well as his older brother. Aiden is a kind, caring, and energetic boy who loves all things with wheels. Aiden loves all types of vehicles like cars and trucks, using his words to point out fun vehicles on the street, enjoys watching the Cars movies, and even has an adaptive bike for him to keep up riding with his big brother and friends. His Case Manager, Courtney, says, “I feel so lucky to work with Aiden and his family. You can’t help but smile when you’re around him. He’s full of life and incredibly resilient; he doesn’t let anything stop him from enjoying everything life has to offer to the fullest.” We are so grateful Aiden, and his family got to experience something new this past summer and wanted to share their story. This can only happen with donors like you.
Aiden and his family traveled to the mountains this past July for him to attend Adam’s Camp. Adam’s Camp is in Granby, Colorado and serves children and young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families. This camp gives kids a chance to experience a summer camp, learn new skills, make goals, and meet new friends. Kim said their whole family got to stay up in Granby with Aiden. They spent time in the mountains together and enjoyed the Colorado outdoors. Each day at camp, Aiden would go off and spend all day with this group. Here, they got to do horseback riding, canoeing, rock climbing, and even got to play on a big slide! Kim said Aiden loves the big slide and could have gone on that all day everyday while he was there. Aiden also learned he loves to rock climb. Since their time at Adam’s Camp, Kim and Brian have been looking for a local adaptive rock climbing program for Aiden.
Months after this fun camp experience, Kim talks about the benefits Adam’s Camp had for Aiden and her family. During camp, Aiden got out of his comfort zone every day, met new people, and learned to better use his words when interacting with his group. Since they got home, Aiden loves talking about his Adam’s Camp experience. When he sees the photos, he remembers the slide, the horses, the mountains, camp, etc. and will use his words to tell his family of his memories. Kim said, “Kids like Aiden have short memories, and this memory will stand out to him.” Even now, when he sees photos, he gets excited and loves to talk about his time at Adam’s Camp. Speech and “using his words” are a skill Aiden and his family like to work on. His photos taken at Adam’s Camp are used in his Speech and Occupational Therapies today to get him excited about using his words. Adam’s Camp created core memories for Aiden, taught him new activities and skills, and lead him to find his voice.
Adam’s Camp is a great resource for children, young adults, siblings, and families. But this camp is expensive. Without funds and donors like you, most families would not be able to access these resources. Adam’s Camp is not accessible without donations. This experience is something Aiden will remember for a long time. His time at Adam’s Camp and their photos are used in his therapies today to help Aiden become the person he wants to be.