We recently connected with Laura McKenna and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

All the credit for the idea and early stages of execution go to our founders, Susan and Pat Mooney. Their concern for their son Ross, who was diagnosed with an acquired brain injury at 14 began exploring future residential options for him, knowing as parents we all someday will be gone and will need a place for our loved ones to live, socialize and work. What they found were limited and unappealing options, so they created Tall Tales to advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while helping them to demonstrate the many abilities and unique gifts that they have. They wanted a community that celebrates difference and we are different in that Tall Tales takes every opportunity to provide experiences that promote inclusion and integration while also helping to bring people together in a space that is safe and supportive. The result is we are building a community, in Lone Tree, that will include apartments and a community barn that will be used as an event venue. We will also have a coffee shop that will provide vocational training and employment opportunities to many people living with IDD. Our project is unique in that we will also have “neuro-typical” (people without cognitive disabilities) living and working among us. Our goal is to create a space that is founded on inclusion, diversity, and working together to ensure that everyone has a place and feels a part of their community and I’m excited to join the Mooneys, our ambassadors and board of directors to see the vision become a reality.

After meeting Susan Mooney eight years ago through my previous job as Executive Director of HomeAid Colorado, I joined the board of directors in 2019. In 2021 Susan decided to step aside as the Executive Director but continue to serve Tall Tales as our co-founder with her husband Pat and I jumped at the opportunity to apply for the ED role and started January 31, 2022.
So, I can’t say that I launched TTR as that credit all goes to Susan and Pat Mooney in what I would say is the first stage of creating TTR. They developed the important relationships to begin the programmatic foundation and vision for what TTR will be including procuring a 4-acre piece of land in Lone Tree (thanks to the generosity of the Schweiger Ranch Foundation), obtaining approval of our Site Improvement Plan and creating social enrichment programs for our ambassadors.

The next step is to shore up the construction design, concepts, funding, and future program for TTR. Those included: 1. Putting operational systems in place with the best personnel, 2. Working with architects, builders and engineers on the design, budget and infrastructure needed, 3. Focusing on the capital campaign – major fundraising initiative and understanding government funding opportunities 4. Expanding our existing program including the launch of the Tall Tales Coffee Company via our coffee trailer and planning future programming on our new site. While fundraising, we are developing what the future residential program will look like based on rule/regulations, how much can we provide, staffing needs, costs, etc. and making some compromises along the way as we realized that it is impossible to be all things to all people.

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I initially started working in residential services for people with IDD right out of college as a recreation counselor at a 64-bed facility in rural Iowa. Eventually after finishing graduate school, I returned as a national staff trainer and worked in Iowa and then Colorado where I was a regional staff development director for agencies in Colorado, Texas and eventually California. After spending a total of 16 years in residential services for the I/DD population, I left the field completely and started working in homeless housing for another nonprofit, Home Aid, where I spent the next 20 years. HomeAid’s mission is to utilize the building industry to build housing/facilities for other non-profit organizations serving people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. It was my role at HomeAid where I was able to learn about housing, construction, homebuilding, working with municipalities – all of which are critical in my current role as we develop TTR. It is also where I connected with Susan Mooney and Tall Tales was approved as one of their projects in Colorado (more on that later). Working for TTR ideally utilizes my experience in IDD residential services, homebuilding and also as a parent of a son with an intellectual disability.

Like Susan Mooney I have been concerned about the minimal options available to my own son, Noah, for housing, work and being a productive and included member of his community. After Noah finished his post high school transition program, there was suddenly no structure or supports for work and socialization. Like so many other parents of children with I/DD I was not only his mother but his case manager, chauffer, cook, residential provider, job coach and companion. While so many of his neuro-typical friends from high school were going off to college, getting jobs or living independently, Noah and most of his peers from special education programs were living with their parents, participating in segregated day program, have few meaningful job opportunities and overall have few integrated opportunities. It became abundantly clear that the resources were minimal and/or not appropriate for his needs and desires and there were no creative solutions in the works. Except for Tall Tales! We are building a model where people with and without disabilities will live, work and build a community together with intangible benefits including walking access to RTD’s Ridgegate light rail station; adjacency to the historic Schweiger Ranch, a living history farm and cultural resource offering volunteer and other partnership opportunities; proximity to RidgeGate’s Open Space and recreation system including a regional park and regional trail system; and employment opportunities in our own coffee shop and event barn and nearby retail locations in Lone Tree.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Little did I know that attending a gala for the Lion Project in 2015 would lead to a life changing event. I was working for HomeAid and we were a recipient of a Lion Project probono video featuring our work building housing for homeless female veterans. Susan was in attendance and approached me when she found out that HomeAid builds housing for other nonprofit organizations. We instantly connected through some random coincidences. We both worked for the same organization serving people with I/DD in the early 90s in the same group home, we both worked in I/DD before having sons whose lives would be impacted by a disability, and we were both frustrated with lack of options for services. Being fully aware of the lack of creative housing solutions for people with I/DD I encouraged Susan to apply for TTR to be a HomeAid project. So, from 2015 to 2022 I worked with Susan and the Tall Tales Ranch construction committee via HomeAid as we worked with builders, the architect and planned the site work. Honestly, as much as l loved the work of HomeAid and have no regrets about my tenure there, I secretly was hoping to work for Tall Tales for quite a while! I joke with Susan that I really have just been stalking her to take her job! Ultimately, everything worked out. I’m a very practical person and not necessarily a firm believer in fate, but there has always been something about my experience meeting Susan and whole heartedly believing in the vision she and Pat created that has made me question if fate wasn’t at play. None the less, I do believe this is where I’m meant to be.

Have you ever had to pivot?

2001 was undoubtedly the start of a shift. We were going through all kinds of testing, therapies, and assessments confirming Noah’s delays in development when my daughter Alyssa was born prematurely and spent five weeks in the hospital resulting in numerous (albeit not permanent) health issues for the next year. It became impossible to work in residential services where you are on-call 24/7 and deal with Alyssa’s health issues and begin to navigate the “system” for Noah, so I took a deep breath, quit my job and stayed home for a few months. Eventually I landed at HomeAid which was a blessing as it provided more flexibility for my family which became crucial when a year later, my husband died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 43.

That required a BIG pivot. Along with a lot of crying, uncertainty, anxiety, guilt, fear, and a long list of other emotions. I certainly learned a lot from that time like you still have to get out of bed, hug your children, be grateful for your friends and family who are there for you at your worst and keep working. I was grateful to have an understanding employer in HomeAid and it taught me that being a fair and empathetic employer makes for good employees. I can easily say that I have learned as much or more from the people I have supervised as much as those who have supervised me.

Everyone has a story – and certainly every parent of a child with a disability has a story to tell as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.talltalesranch.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/talltalesranch
• Facebook: facebook.com/talltalesranch/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/talltalesranch
• Twitter: twitter.com/talltalesranch.org