aaronsfund.comMaking a Difference
In loving memory of Aaron Matthew Tuneberg
-->Aaron's Fund
Aaron Matthew Tuneberg died at the age of 30 on April 8, 2014 as the result of a senseless and violent crime. Because of the developmental disability he was born with his life was often difficult and with the support of many people he worked hard to deal with his problems and succeeded in becoming independent, living in his own apartment, caring for his beloved cat Jack, following his passion for low rider bicycles, and surrounding himself with a community of loyal and loving friends. Aaron was a sweet young man who, in spite of his disabilities, was trying to live his life well and in peace. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle and proud citizen of Boulder, Colorado.
The motivating dreams behind this memorial fund are to honor Aaron’s spirt and soul, and in the process to make the lives of other adults with disabilities more meaningful and safer. We hope you will be inspired to join us in working toward these goals.
May his memory always be a blessing.
Our Current Projects
The goal of Aaron's Fund is to help at-risk adults lead full and safe lives. We strongly believe in these projects. Your donation will help us achieve our goals.
We have recently identified what we hope will be the capstone investment for our Fund. With your ongoing generous support we will be able to establish an endowment in Aaron’s name in 2024, on the 10th anniversary of his death. This endowment will be through the Children’s Hospital Foundation for the benefit of the families seeking treatment in the Behavioral Health Center. These are families whose kiddos are dealing with similar difficult challenges to those Aaron struggled with, and they deserve as much support on their journeys as possible.
Vocational training in bicycle repair
After a long Covid-imposed hiatus, we received notification that the Boulder Valley School District is suspending Aaron’s Earn a Bike Program with Community Cycles. We understand the continuing pandemic pressures on all school districts, and will certainly leave the door open to working with both BVSD/Transitions and Community Cycles in the future. And we will continue to look for ways to encourage those in Aaron’s cohort to enjoy bicycling and to assist them in this regard. During the six years this program operated with our support, more than 100 students participated and benefited. For this we are grateful.
Quotes from students
"My favorite things I learned are hand signals (for signaling while riding a bicycle) and tire patch."
"You learn how to do bike mechanics, it’s fun, and you make new friends"
"I feel more confident in riding my bike. It is so much fun being in the biking community!"
"I learned how to adjust the brakes and I learned all of the bike parts."
Project Search at Children's Hospital
Just prior to the Covid shutdown, we invested in Project Search, a wonderful vocational-training program at Children’s Hospital Colorado for young adults with DD and ID. Students from all over the metro area participate for a school-year, receive in-classroom instruction in the mornings, then shadow current employees in various departments at the hospital in the afternoons. At the completion of their program each student is given the opportunity to apply for employment at Children’s. This is a program which Aaron could have greatly benefited from. One of his most successful work experiences was an internship at Boulder Community Hospital during his Transitions years. Happily, Project Search resumed with the opening of school this fall.
