About Us

Our Mission

PHILOSOPHY
Our belief is that severe disabilities and challenging behavior can be handled positively through the use of supportive teaching and appropriate behavioral techniques. Through our home and community-based programs, we help develop the skills and attitudes needed for people to be successful at home, in school, on the job, and in society.

Roundup Fellowship is an interdependent network of people, giving and receiving from one another, with an emphasis on quality services and long-term commitment.

PURPOSE
Roundup Fellowship serves children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and behavioral or mental health concerns while recognizing their dignity, affirming their ability to contribute, and helping them become as productive and self-reliant as possible. Our array of services includes homes for children and adults, an on-ground school and day treatment program, supported living apartments, a vocational program, a community participation program, and in-home support for families. In every setting, Roundup seeks to enable each participant to develop the skills and attitudes needed to function at home, on the job, and in society. Roundup functions as an interdependent network of people giving and receiving from one another and, in the process, building long-term relationships through commitment.

 

DEDICATION
For over 50 years, Roundup Fellowship has been dedicated to providing a genuine community alternative to an outdated institutional method of treatment for persons with developmental disabilities. Persons with conditions such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism, or who display physical aggressiveness or self-abusiveness, are all candidates for our services.

Our History

The story of Roundup Fellowship

Founded – 1973
In 1973, after much discussion and research by a small group of founders, Roundup Fellowship is incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

1974: Roundup opens two group homes, one in Sheridan and one on St. Paul Street in Denver. These homes serve boys who are in trouble with the law or have been abused/neglected.

1975: A group home on Josephine Street is opened, as well as a ranch in Ramah located 27 miles southeast of Kiowa. The ranch offers the boys a chance to get away from city life, learn responsibility, and how to function in a family.

1976: At the state level, children with developmental disabilities are being moved out of institutional settings and into smaller, family-like homes in regular neighborhoods. State officials ask Roundup if we are willing to use our experience to establish homes for these children. Roundup responds by converting St. Paul House into a home for children with developmental disabilities. St. Paul is the second such small home in the state of Colorado established for children.

1977: We open our first home in Colorado Springs: Fortune Circle House.

1978: Monroe House in Denver opens.

1979: Roundup opens Meade house in Colorado Springs.

1980’s
Senate Bill 26 takes effect, significantly reducing funding for Roundup’s boy’s programs. The Roundup Board of Directors realizes the financial drain of operating the ranch will jeopardize all of the other programs, so the decision is made to close the ranch. In six years of service, Roundup Ranch helped 150 troubled boys reach a better future.

1981: A zoning dispute forces Monroe House to relocate. Roundup acquires a home on Monaco Parkway and moves the residents there. For the next six years, Roundup Fellowship will focus on establishing quality residential programs for children with developmental disabilities.

1987: Roundup’s “kids” are growing up. We recognize the need to provide adult residential and vocational options. In February, Roundup’s first vocational client received a job in a community setting. In May, our apartment complex on Quivas Street opens, providing homes for six young men. Three of these men are Roundup “graduates”; the other three are new to our program.

1988: Roundup operates its first Personal Care Alternative (PCA) when a St. Paul resident moves into his own apartment.

1990’s
Roundup receives the green light from the state to initiate an In-Home Training Program. This program is the first of its kind in Denver County. The goal of this program is to provide training and support to families who have a developmentally disabled child in order to prevent out-of-home placement.

1995: Roundup opens its own school in Colorado Springs. This allows our kids who live with us an alternative to traditional public school settings while providing an individualized educational experience.

1996: The Roundup School quickly outgrew its initial location and had to relocate. Roundup found a building in downtown Colorado Springs that allowed for greater community participation and vocational experiences.

1997: Roundup is approached by Denver Options to purchase a group home for medically fragile adults who have developmental disabilities. Roundup purchases and begins operating what is now known as Evans House.

1998: The Roundup School expands in a new direction by accepting a child who does not live in one of our group homes. This is the first child we have accepted into our day treatment program.

The 21st Century
2008: The Roundup School moves into a new building in Colorado Springs. We can now accept up to 40 students into our school and day treatment program.

2015: Roundup opens a Community Connections Program for adults in Colorado Springs. The program is based at our Colorado Springs school location.

 

The 21st Century
2008: The Roundup School moves into a new building in Colorado Springs. We can now accept up to 40 students into our school and day treatment program.

2015: Roundup opens a Community Connections Program for adults in Colorado Springs. The program is based at our Colorado Springs school location.