The concept of Glory Community has been formulating and evolving for many years with Jim and Sandy Hembd.  In fact, this all started when their twin sons, Mike and Mark, were born in 1968 with Down syndrome.  Their ideas have changed over the years and today the Hembds are working towards establishing a community of residential homes and business enterprises for adults with intellectual disabilities in the Front Range area of Colorado.

Throughout Mike and Mark’s growing-up years, Jim and Sandy prepared them for living on their own and becoming contributing employees as adults.  As they entered their last year of high school, Mike and Mark had acquired the necessary skills to become functionally independent adults who would need some guidance in their daily living.   They graduated on a Friday and went to work as electronic assemblers the following Monday.  The next hurdle would be finding the appropriate living arrangements.  Sandy began to investigate what was available in their immediate area and found long waiting lists for those “in the system” and Mike and Mark were not even signed up for “the system” yet.   So began the search for creating another option.

Their first investigation involved discussion with an area church regarding combining senior living and a residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities on the same campus, sharing some facilities.  While gaining information, this led nowhere.

Beginning again in 2003, the Hembds brought together some thinkers in their church community to begin discussing what, where and how to build their vision.  After a visit to the Brookwood Community in Texas, they began thinking in terms of creating a self sustaining community, free of government support, in Colorado. The initial group helped establish goals and pull together a mission statement.  Then it was time to form a Board of Directors and incorporate as a not for profit corporation.  In 2005, a Board was in place and Glory Community came into being as a 501(c)3.

The vision has evolved from living alone in an apartment, with some assistance, to Glory Community.  Mike and Mark are very social, love their family and like living in a family setting.  This community will include homes with live-in home teachers.  The design will include a caregiver apartment within the home.  The residents will each have their own room with a shared bathroom between two rooms, six to eight residents in each home, and the living quarters will be shared by all.   We believe this is an option that other families are also seeking.