Our Own Lives

08/28/2026

Amanda is our chief booth engineer.

08/18/2026

Client Leadership Council elections are quickly approaching, and campaign signs are starting to fill our community centers!

The CLC guides our organization's priorities, activities, and hiring. The council meets monthly to give organizational guidance.

Do you want to serve on council? You are eligible if you are enrolled in services with Our Own Lives. Please let Jeff Newman know you wish to run for election: [email protected] or 970-485-3488.

If you are enrolled in services with OOL, you also get to vote on who you wish to represent you on council. Keep an eye out for the Ballot at the end of August!

08/18/2026

The struggle is real!

08/13/2026

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

A Cortez nonprofit is reshaping disability services by centering lived experience, employment and community inclusion for people with disabilities in Southwest Colorado.

08/07/2026

Closing One Chapter, Beginning Another... We will miss you, Scott!

“It has been an absolute honor to spend the last 2 years at Our Own Lives. Together, we have accomplished amazing things, more than can be listed in this post. I have no doubt about the future success of OOL, especially with the amazing staff and people in services at the helm. I will miss everyone dearly, and please don’t stop building something amazing! Remember, keep taking chances to create something beautiful. Nothing transformational ever comes from playing it safe." - Scott

08/03/2026

🌟 We Are Hiring! Join Our Team Today! 🌟

Make a meaningful difference every day. Our Own Lives is looking for a dedicated Direct Support Professional to empower individuals in our community.

💼 Position: Direct Support Professional
💰Pay: $17.93 per hour
📅 Deadline: Applications close August 17th

Apply today to start a rewarding career where your work truly matters!

https://www.ourownlives.org/careers

07/24/2026

We will miss Scott terribly, but eventually our aim will get better.

Thank you for everything, Scoot!

07/20/2026

🎉 Let's start the week with a HUGE shout-out! 🎉

We would like to give a HUGE shout-out to Cathy Sykes for all her efforts and the incredible impact she's had coordinating activities for Our Own Lives.

Cathy was instrumental in building more activities to serve both our Cortez and Durango clients. She is dedicated to making sure there are multiple opportunities to build connections within the community and provide experiences that are not always available to the disability community.

Cathy has helped provide our clients with an awesome summer so far, and we're excited to continue creating even more opportunities.

Thank you, Cathy, for everything you do!

07/16/2026

🌸 Have you seen how beautiful our garden is? 🌼

We're incredibly proud of the space we've created together! We can't wait to see the garden continue to bloom all season long! 🌿💚

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make it possible!

07/10/2026

Please see our updated activities at Siegele Safe Haven!

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐰𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: Please let Dillon, our Siegele Safe Haven manager, know! Some events fill up, so the earlier the better!

𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐎𝐋:
1. Please be prepared to bring the support and helpers you need to participate!
2. Please be prepared to cover the cost of the activity.
3. If the event involves tickets or reservations from a 3rd party (like train or horseback rides, etc), you will need to coordinate your own reservations and tickets- and there may not always be reservations available.
4. Please call us with any questions!

Join us if you're looking for connection, creativity, fun, and community!