What a busy week! Happy Juneteenth! Happy Father’s Day! Happy Pride!

This week (the week of Father’s Day in America), UCP Oregon is giving a shout-out to the parents of our customers.

Our Director of Brokerage Services, Sarah Noack, attended a picnic Blue Lake this week. The event was held by “Off the Couch” events, and several of UCP's customers attended.​

As Sarah says, “One of the things I walked away with was appreciation for the parents who show up for their kids their whole lives through.”
 
As Sarah adds, “We spend a lot of time in ‘adult services’ talking about self-determination… about and muddling our way through the conflicts that can arise between adult children and their parents. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the love and commitment many parents give to their adult children (our customers). As I caught up with a few parents yesterday, I was struck with the love, the impact, the hours, the grief, the heart, the strength, the grit, and the hope of so many parents, who are giving so much to their adult children over their entire lives. It is beautiful.”
 
Thank you to all the parents of our customers.

Join UCP Oregon on June 19th as we celebrate Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day).
 
The holiday was named in honor of June 19th, 1865--the day that enslaved persons were finally freed in Texas (months after the Civil War has ended).

Last year, the day became a federal holiday. Woo hoo!
 
Juneteenth events are being held across the country.

If you live in Portland, you might want to attend the 2022 Juneteenth Oregon Parade and Festival. This free, community-empowered event features a parade, food, vendors, a kids’ area, local music (jazz, hip hop and soul), empowering speeches from community leaders and more.
 
For more information, visit the Juneteenth Oregon Celebration website.

Parenting a kiddo who experiences disabilities can be difficult.

Planning for that kiddo’s financial future can be even tricker!

That’s why UCP Oregon is pleased to be hosting a 2022 “Special Needs Planning Workshop Series.”

These workshops are being presented by the Abeona Group, and are sponsored by UCP Oregon’s ​Family Support Department.
 
The workshops include:

• September: Life Care Planning Workshop.
• October: Special Needs Trusts & Able Accounts Workshop.
• November: Government Benefits Workshop

 
These workshops are open to anyone who is parenting a child who experiences any developmental disability—not just cerebral palsy.

We had so much fun at the the 2022 Junior Rose Parade!

A huge thank you goes out to our Family Support Director, Katherine Ball, for organizing the event. Those balloons were so cool!

And another thanks to Lillieth Cusick Grand for taking (and sharing!) so many great photos.

And thanks to everyone who attended or watched!

Woo hoo! It's parade time!

UCP's Family Support Director, Katherine, and her son, Nicholas, are headed off to the 2022 Junior Rose Parade assembly point right this second!

This event is open to everyone who loves UCP Oregon--customers, friends, family members, and employees.

If you want to join our parade group, meet us at the assembly area (between NE 52nd and NE 56th and NE Sacramento and NE Tillamook). Katherine is hoping everyone will be there by 11:45am.

If you can't make it in time to join our group, feel free to watch the parade and yell "woo hoo" as we pass!
​
We can't wait to see you!!!

Happy Pride Month!
 
Around the country, people are celebrating with parties and events. But Pride is also reminder of the ongoing civil rights movement for LGBTQ+ people.
 
As of 2021, 5.6% of adult Americans identify as part of the LGBTQ+ population. (That’s approximately 17 million people.)
 
Currently, 30-36% of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ also experience disabilities. (That’s approximately 5 million people.)

You can learn more about the experience of being LGBTQ+ and having disabilities here:

• https://www.respectability.org/2021/06/pride-month-2021/
  
• https://www.disability.state.mn.us/2021/06/25/lgbtq-pride-and-disability-coming-out/
  
• ​https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2019/06/24/pride-month-too-often-overlooks-lgbtq-members-with-disabilities/?sh=1949b5e91ef8
  

Mabuhay, UCP fans!
 
(That’s a Filipino greeting, if you didn’t know).
 
As you may have heard, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI).
 
UCP’s Yvonne Miller (a Personal Agent) taught us that greeting, and also started a conversation with the UCP Mentors team about ways to acknowledge and celebrate all things AAPI.
 
Below is an excerpt from Yvonne’s email and some resources they provided.

PS: Thanks to the other UCP Mentors team members shared about their identity and more ways to connect with the AAPI culture! 
 

Are you a caregiver of a child who experiences disabilities? Do you feel invisible?

You're not the only one!

That's why UCP Oregon's Family Support Department is pleased to host an online screening of a fabulous  new documentary, entitled “Unseen: How We’re Failing Parent Caregivers and Why It Matters.”
 
The event will be held on May 23rd at 4pm, via Zoom. After you register, you will be sent the link.

Our Family Support Director, Katherine Ball, will be on hand during and after the event to talk, share and provide emotional support.

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month?
 
The goal is to bring awareness to the importance of mental health and break the stigma.

About 25% of American adults experience a mental health challenge of some kind, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
 
But many people who experience mental health challenges keep their situation and stories to themselves—they’re afraid of being treated differently.
 
But, as Disability Rights California writes, “Especially during this challenging pandemic, it’s even more important to take care of ourselves and not be afraid to ask for help. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s important to remember, we are not alone.”

​Hey, this is really cool!

A former customer of UCP Oregon was one of the consultants for Portland’s new inclusive playground at Gabriel Park.

You might remember Linda from her days as a customer of UCP Oregon's Supported Employment Services.

Linda used our services while she worked as a research assistant in Portland State University’s Universal Design Lab. She was also featured in one of our Annual Reports.

Linda recently served on Portland Parks & Recreation's Gabriel Park Playground Advisory Committee.
 
Linda was born in Portland—a city with numerous beautiful parks—but, as Linda says, when she went to the playground as a kid, “I could not do anything, but I would sit my feet in the wading pool.”

That's why Linda was delighted to serve on the Gabriel Park Playground Advisory Committee. While Linda wishes inclusive playgrounds had existed when she was a kid, late is better late than never!

The new playground officially opened on May 14th.