Walt Adams:
Star Radio, Sunday Jazz Brunch. Time once again for the Power of Potential with AIM Services. Each week we get a chance to talk with Executive Director Chris Lyons. Good morning, Chris.
Chris Lyons:
Good morning, Walt. Happy Sunday. Another wonderful Jazz Brunch, another opportunity to talk about AIM Services and the Power of Potential.
Walt Adams:
I understand things are moving forward, with the pandemic.
Chris Lyons:
Yes, yes, and we’ll be finishing up to make sure that all the people we support are vaccinated and all those that support them here at AIM are also vaccinated under the state guidelines. So it’s encouraging. I see the numbers are starting to improve, and so, the hoped-for beginning of the end, I think, my friend, is here.
Walt Adams:
This week, our special guest, Bo Goliber, is joining us. She has a special new initiative and a new sweatshirt that I’m looking forward to proudly wearing.
Chris Lyons:
Isn’t it exciting? Bo Goliber, as our Senior Director of Communications and Development, made great strides to get the word out about AIM so that we could better support people with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injury while in partnership with both the businesses and other community entities in our area. I’m just so excited to have her. She brings an amazing skill set, a broad skill set, and professionalism.
Walt Adams:
You enjoy the day Chris, talk to you again next week. I’ll get Bo on, and we look forward to her letting us know about this new initiative.
Chris Lyons:
Exciting times, Walt. As always, thank you so much.
Walt Adams:
And after the show, I’m going into the workout room and lifting the weights, so I lose my COVID 15, and I’m ready to look good in my new AIM sweatshirt.
Chris Lyons:
That is awesome. Please take care and be well, my friend.
Walt Adams:
You too.
Walt Adams:
Let’s connect with Bo Goliber, the Chief Development and Communications Officer at AIM.
Walt Adams:
Good morning, Bo.
Bo Goliber:
Good morning, Walt. How are you?
Walt Adams:
Doing good as spring slowly starts to emerge. We think optimistic thoughts, and you’ve got a great initiative going on. Tell us about the I Am AIM program.
Bo Goliber:
So we are very excited to tell the community about this campaign that we launched. It’s going to be the theme for our 2021 fundraising. And we kicked it off last weekend with a sweatshirt drive, where we are trying to sell sweatshirts as a fundraiser for AIM to benefit all of our programs. And the whole purpose behind the sweatshirt campaign is not only to raise funds but also to raise awareness. One of the things I have noticed since I’ve been here, is the core values of who we are as an organization, really stand out, not only from our staff but from our supporters and our community. And I thought it would be a great way to do some storytelling around who we are and why we do what we do.
Bo Goliber:
So the sweatshirt is an opportunity for people to embody those core values that we stand by. So things like individuality, inclusion, integrity, independence, those are some of the things that really make us tick day in and day out here. And so we’re using that as an opportunity through social media, not only to sell the sweatshirts but tell the story of AIM as an organization and why the people who work here are so passionate about what we do.
Walt Adams:
Everybody can relate to a cozy sweatshirt with a great message on it.
Bo Goliber:
Yeah, and we’re so grateful for the support of our internal staff, who are really proud to purchase them and wear them, which is so awesome to see. And then we also have a lot of community involvement from our board members, from local folks in the community who have supported us through the years. So we will be posting those throughout the next four weeks. The goal is to sell 200 sweatshirts. We’ve already sold 60, which is incredible, and we’re really hoping to be able to exceed that goal.
Bo Goliber:
But more importantly, it’s about being able to help people understand who we are. And every time I have an opportunity to interact with the individuals that we serve, I’m completely blown away by the stories of independence and individuality. And so it was perfect timing, last week, we had a couple of great stories on our social media pages. So we encourage folks to jump on there because we’re doing a lot more of that, trying to make sure that the community not only understands our programming but how it actually impacts the lives of the people that we work with.
Walt Adams:
Got some great sponsors, too, that wanted to participate, long-standing partner Jaeger & Flynn.
Bo Goliber:
Yes, we were so excited. We received an email from Tom Flynn of Jaeger & Flynn offering $1000 to buy sweatshirts for the direct support professionals that we employ. And we’re actually going to do an internal raffle here to help rally some excitement internally for the folks that we have on our staff. So nothing makes us more proud than to be able to show support and gratitude for our direct support professionals because they’re our essential workers who are doing the real work on the day-to-day basis. So we’re really grateful and thankful to Jaeger & Flynn, and Tom for stepping up to do that as well.
Walt Adams:
Well, I love the design you guys came up with. It’s really the essence of what AIM’s all about.
Bo Goliber:
Thank you. Yeah, that was the goal. We wanted it to be a sweatshirt that anybody could be proud to wear because, in an ideal world, anyone would like to say, I embody those qualities, right? Like, I aim to represent these things. So that was kind of how we came up with the, “What’s your AIM?” So we’re excited. We’re getting some really great feedback, and people are really enjoying the stories. I think it creates a personal connection with the organization, which I’m so proud of, and we’re having a great time doing it. And with springtime, there’s no better time to have a super-comfy sweatshirt, like you said. So I would highly recommend it.
Walt Adams:
What’s the best way for someone to help out and purchase a sweatshirt?
Bo Goliber:
Check our Facebook. We have tons of posts going on it, or you can, of course, visit our website as well, which will have a link, but it’s also under get involved. It’ll be the top thing. And that I Am AIM campaign, as I said, will take us through the whole year. And it will be the overarching theme of the rest of our events and activities throughout the year.
Walt Adams:
Sounds good, Bo. Well, great to talk to you. Good luck with the initiative. We’ll get the word out there and look forward to talking to you again soon.
Bo Goliber:
Thank you so much, Walt. Great to talk to you.
Walt Adams:
Bo Goliber, launching a new initiative at AIM Services. To find out more about getting your sweatshirt, or to join the AIM team, or to find out about the services that are offered, go to aimservicesinc.org for the Power of Potential.
Walt Adams:
We’ll be right back with more music coming up next on the Sunday Jazz Brunch on Saratoga’s Star Radio.