Wish of a Lifetime

Shifting the way we value our oldest generation

Wish of a Lifetime is a non-profit that aims to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling seniors’ dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages. As part of a brand refresh, we re-envisioned the website to better reinforce their unique brand promise.

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Web Design
WordPress Development
Persona Development

Web Design + WordPress Development

We created user personas and evaluated all site content adding compelling wish recipient stories, sponsor opportunities, a calendar of upcoming events and wishes, and prominent options for people to get involved such as donating a tweet or making memorial tributes in honor of a senior. Built in WordPress, this site has proved to be extremely easy for their staff to update.

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Telling Stories

Part of the way seniors are honored is by sharing their stories. We created a system for staff to enter and categorize wishes more easily, and provided a delightful user experience on the front end to display these stories.

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Merge took a rough idea for our design and re-brand and turned it in to a vision. They are true collaborators asking us insightful questions that helped define our brand aesthetic, listened to our needs, and brought great ideas and advice to the table. The result was a beautiful website that effectively communicates our mission to multiple audiences. We couldn’t be happier with our new website!

Sally Webster
Director of Community Outreach

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Say Hello

Boulder, CO

Michelle Dodd, Co-founder
303.257.0335
michelle@merge.studio

Crested Butte, CO

Stacey Schultz, Co-founder
303.641.8544
stacey@merge.studio

Mark Hunt

Creative Strategist + Visual Designer

With 20+ years of design experience, Mark brings experience in strategic design and branding for both web and print. As an Art Director, he spent 11 years at Starz Entertainment, helping them shape and build their brand.

Mark enjoys serving a wide range of clients, from start-up ventures, non-profit organizations and established corporations, fostering solutions that fuel great design and building brand value.

Mark is entrepreneurial in spirit and committed to meeting the specific needs of each client by delivering innovative, tailored solutions with a personalized approach. He prides himself on getting to know each client and gaining a deep understanding of their business, their purpose, and their passion.

Julie Tuerk

Web Developer + Code Creator

Julie brings a diverse background to her practice of web development. She has studied computer programming, art, and psychology, and is also a certified sommelier. Her eagerness to learn new technical skills has enabled numerous small businesses and nonprofits to create an online presence, improve website functionality, and manage data. Julie loves solving problems with creative solutions, but is equally at ease using traditional methods to help clients realize their visions.

Michelle Dodd

Co-founder + Technical Strategist

With 20+ years in web development, Michelle loves her work and enjoys getting to know clients as she helps them achieve their goals. She's worked in and for non-profits, built marketing sites for numerous small businesses, and contributed to web apps that help millions to learn, invest, and get organized. Experience in usability testing and analysis keeps her focused on the user and she continually evolves in areas of accessibility, SEO and the details that set a great site apart from a good one.

Michelle finds solid, efficient, and affordable solutions to the unique needs of each project. With clear communication and enthusiasm, she enjoys the process of creating beautiful websites that make a tangible difference for clients.

Michelle has planned and experienced several multi-month, self-supported bike tours, sea kayak expeditions, and through hikes. These days she finds joy in camping, mountain biking and skiing with her husband and daughter, and playing indoor and sand volleyball.

Dina Barnese

Project Manager + Master Juggler

Dina is a project manager with a vast background in IT. Her two decades of experience include end-user hardware and software support, database design, web back-end development, business analysis, and enterprise-level project management. Not one to let the grass grow under her feet and always seeking knowledge, she sought new opportunities throughout her twelve years at Northern Arizona University, steadily advancing in the IT department. In 2013, she took her skills to the world of healthcare, where she managed complex projects to implement electronic healthcare record systems.

Intending to add to her management skillset, Dina attended mediation training in 2005. She was hooked and thus started her side hustle of becoming a mediator. She served as a volunteer court-appointed mediator for eight years, during which time she continued training in advanced facilitation, negotiation, and mediation skills.

Dina joined the Merge team in 2017. She approaches project management with a goal of guiding the client’s vision to reality, keeping the big picture in mind while managing details and tasks.

Outside of the IT world, she is a potter, musician and nature lover. She serves on the board of directors for the Flagstaff Foundry, a nonprofit performing arts incubator, and emcees the PineStories Story Slam.

Stacey Schultz

Co-founder + Creative Strategist

Stacey is a 20-year design + marketing professional with a unique background that combines a decade as a web designer (both on the corporate and agency side) as well as another decade as a marketing director for a cultural travel company. She has led dozens of website and mobile app designs, encompassing everything from marketing content to complex online applications. She is guided by a belief that humans always come first and the best technologies are those that go unnoticed but add value.

In 2016, she co-founded Merge to help small businesses and non-profits elevate their online experience and digital strategy. She has a 360-degree view of everything that goes into creating and maintaining successful websites and an in-depth understanding of all the skills needed to accomplish even the most complex projects.

She has served as Interactive co-director on the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Board of Directors and on the artists’ committee at PlatteForum, a community based non-profit for the arts in Denver. Currently, she is a volunteer with the Crested Butte Adaptive Sports Center.

Outside of Merge, she is an accomplished artist and passionate outdoors person. In the winter you can find her on the ski slopes and in the summer mountain biking in her backyard of Crested Butte, CO. Her paintings are in several private collections including the National Renewable Energy Labs in Golden, CO and she has shown at the prestigious Cherry Creek Arts Festival, a national juried art festival.