 UCP Oregon is excited to announce the winners of the "2021 Employee Recognition Awards!" These awards were given to employees who provide direct care to our customers, folks who have titles such as Personal Assistant, Support Specialist, Support Coordinator, Personal Coordinator, Assistant Team Leader, Substitute Support Professional, Children's Support Professional, Job Coach, and Employment Specialist. All direct care staff were eligible to vote for the winners. Each winner received a $100 Visa Gift Card and an award certificate! If you happen to see one of these employees, please make sure to congratulate them. PS: there were two winners in every category. We don't have permission to share the names of ALL the winners, so a few folks will not be listed below. THE 2021 Employee Recognition Award WINNERS
 Hi! We have an exciting opening to share with you.
UCP Oregon is hiring a Receptionist. This is a great position for you if you enjoy multi-tasking, solving problems on the fly, and interacting with lots of different kinds of people, such as the folks we support, our employees, and the other people who drop by our office on a daily basis. This position is open to both current employees and external applicants. The person we hire can choose between two work schedules:
*The Friday schedule will alternate between (9am to 3:30pm and 10am to 4:30pm) based on UCP’s pay periods.  Angelica Butler and her family are very excited about their toys! Well, that's a wrap! The 2021 UCP Family Support Annual Toy Giveaway was AWESOME! We served 69 families and gave away over 200 toys. Woo hoo! We'd like to send a gigantic thank you to UCP's Family Support Director, Katherine Ball. Katherine ran the entire event, start to finish--soliciting for toys, picking up toys, setting up the booth, and working both days. Alas, due to some unforeseen events, Katherine had fewer volunteers than expected. She even had to put the gigantic UCP pop-up tent by herself; as she says, "I wish I had a video of it. It would have been a hilarious elf moment!" Thank you so much for all your hard work, Katherine! PS: All of the toys that couldn't be picked up at the Toy Giveaway were mailed out in time for them to arrive by Christmas Eve. Katherine would like to say "thank you" to the following folks:
Greetings from Day Two of UCP Oregon's Toy Giveaway!
It's rainy and cold, but our Holiday Elves are feeling festive and ready to give away some awesome toys! NOTE: This is a two-day even for families who are raising children who experience cerebral palsy or a related disability. Families pre-registered to receive free toys. Special thanks to our shivering Chief Elf, Katherine Ball (Family Support Director).  EDITOR’S NOTE: Lena is a “Personal Assistant” in our Supported Living Department, which means that she works one-on-one a customer (Anita), helping Anita live independently in her own home. Recently, we asked our staff to share stories of their everyday work lives, and Lena wrote the following. Thanks, Lena! By Lena Ruminski, Personal Assistant
Though I have worked for UCP for almost four years, I never knew the kind of joy I could bring someone until this last September when I started working with Anita. While Anita is a woman of few words (unless asked questions), there is one sure way to know that she is enjoying herself: her eyes. The first time I experienced her unique expression of joy was when I introduced her to one of the best things about fall: Starbucks’ seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte. While Anita is a mocha gal herself, I convinced her to try the PSL and upon first sip, she was sold. She looked up at me after her first taste—and her blue eyes were two huge saucers as she exclaimed, “That’s good!” And for the rest of her beverage, after every sip, her wide eyes returned. After we finished up, we started our walk back to her apartment. I started walking fast (and pushing her wheelchair quickly, too) because I was getting chilly. I heard her say “This is fun!” So, I picked up the pace to give her a bit more of a thrill. As I prepared to get her back inside her house, I stopped and turned to her. I saw those wide eyes again as she said, “Can we do that again?!?” Needless to say, we have been regulars at the Starbucks every Saturday shift for our weekly PSL fix.  It's rainy and cold here in Oregon, but we're excited because we have some great news for you!
UCP Oregon was awarded a grant from the Oregon Department of Human Services, which we're using to highlight and celebrate the hard work of our Direct Support Professionals. We created a "Share the Love" story project, where our direct support staff could share stories about their work life--the fun stuff, the hard stuff, and even the funny parts. Every person who submitted a story was awarded a $100 Visa gift card. We received so many fabulous stories. We'll be sharing several of them here (see the link below) and on Facebook over the next few weeks, so make sure to check back in. PS: Thank you so much to everyone who submitted a story! *DSP's are employees who provide direct support to customers, such as Personal Assistants, Support Specialists, Support Coordinators, Personal Coordinators, Assistant Team Leaders, Substitute Support Professionals, Children’s Support Professionals, Job Coaches, and Employment Specialists.  Happy Tuesday! This is just a quick reminder that the 2021 Annual Toy Giveaway is this weekend.
Are you registered? The event is this Saturday and Sunday (December 18 & 19th), from 10am-4pm. It will be a drive-thru event in the UCP parking lot. The event is for families who are raising children who experience cerebral palsy or a related disability. We'll have lots of toys to give away, holiday music, and some festive helpers!
We can't wait to see you.  Happy December from UCP Oregon's Family Support Department!
We're excited to announce the 2021 Annual Toy Giveaway. The event will be held on December 18 & 19th, 10am-4pm. It will be a drive-thru event in the UCP parking lot. The event is for families who are raising children who experience cerebral palsy or a related disability. You must RSVP to participate. Each family will get a 15 minute time slot. We'll have lots of toys to give away, and some festive helpers! We can't wait to see you. |