FAQs

Ascendigo Autism Services offers three core programs: Adventures, Life Enrichment, and Outreach. Our goal is to integrate people with autism into community life recreationally and socially, whether through adventure sports, basic life skills, compatible employment in local companies, or community engagement. In addition to our programs, Ascendigo educates members of our community about autism, what can be done to make living with autism better and easier, and how important it is for individuals with autism to live a life with dignity, purpose and respect.

Our Programs:
Ascendigo Adventures provides Winter, Summer, and Saturday Adventures Camps. Our Adventures Program offers rewarding, challenging outdoor experiences with positive, autism-specific supports. Participants succeed and have fun! Our team has specialized training to work with all levels of ability, behaviors, and functioning. Innovative sports instructor training curriculum for autism is also available. Camp activities include wake boarding, river rafting, climbing, horseback riding, skiing, snowboarding and much more.

Ascendigo Life Enrichment welcomes adults across the spectrum with individualized services and programs. Our approach focuses on social, vocational, athletic, and daily independent living skills. Clients live and work receiving personalized attention while becoming part of a welcoming, small Rocky Mountain Town culture. Our Life Enrichment Program can be broken down into three sub programs: Adult Comprehensive Experience (ACE), Ascending to Adulthood (A2A), and Community Living Residential Program.

Ascendigo Outreach provides behavioral therapy and school consultations for children living from Aspen to Rifle, Colorado. We provide in-home behavioral therapy and school consultations by BCBA’s, OT’s, BCBA-candidates, and Registered Behavior Technicians. We use naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, incorporating the Early Start Denver Model, positive behavioral supports, pivotal response training, and applied behavioral analysis.

There are several ways to support Ascendigo throughout the year:

Donate to support our mission today!
Volunteer at one of our many special events
Serve on our Ascendigo Blue Aspen host committee
Spend the summer as one of our dedicated adventures camp staff members
Set up your own fundraising event
We need dedicated supporters like you to bring important programs and services to our participants. Please contact Julie Kaufman at jkaufman@ascendigo.org to discuss the right opportunity for you.

A major part of Ascendigo’s financial support comes from strong partnerships with extremely generous local and regional sponsors. We would be thrilled to speak with you about working together to make a significant impact in the lives of children and adults on the autism spectrum. To learn more about partnership opportunities please contact Julie Kaufman at jkaufman@ascendigo.org.

There are several additional ways to support Ascendigo!

• Join Ascendigo’s monthly giving program. Participants can designate a pledge that automatically is charged to a credit/debit card each month.
• Consider attending or sponsoring our signature fundraising event, Ascendigo Blue Aspen.
• Make a donation through your Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) at financial institutions such as Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable.
• Find out if your company has a matching gift program, your gift will go twice as far! Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match charitable contributions made by their employees.
• Consider planned giving options including bequests, annuities and trusts to leave a lasting legacy and ensure Ascendigo’s programs and services continue for generations to come. To learn more about potential options, please contact Julie Kaufman at jkaufman@ascendigo.org.

Ascendigo is funded through service fees and insurance* as well as individual private contributions, generous corporate sponsors and foundations. Additionally, we host fundraising events throughout the year, including our signature event, Ascendigo Blue Aspen, over President’s Day Weekend. *Summer and Winter Adventure programs do not accept insurance as payment.

We use the money raised wisely to fund our core programs, staff, and events, ensuring it has the greatest impact for the children and adults served.

For general inquiries, please contact info@ascendigo.org. For a specific event or program, please see each program’s website page for the appropriate staff member.