 Happy March! Did you know that March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month?
The theme was created in 2006 by the Cerebral Palsy Advocacy Group. This is a very special month for UCP Oregon. As you may know, UCP Oregon was created in 1955 as a way to support families who were raising children who experienced cerebral palsy. Since then, we’ve expanded quite a bit! Today we support children and adults who experience ANY intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). But UCP’s Family Support Department still does vital work to support families who are raising children who experience cerebral palsy or a closely-related disorder. How are YOU planning to celebrate National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month?  Woo hoo! It’s official! The 2023 UCP Oregon’s “Bill Porter Memorial Fund” (BPMF) is now open.
We’ll be accepting applications from 8am on March 1st through 5pm on March 31st, 2024. UCP Oregon created the Bill Porter Memorial Fund in 2018, with the goal of assisting our customers to live self-directed lives full of autonomy, independence, and dignity. Over the years, our customers have used the Fund for a variety of purposes, such as taking a class, modifying their home, traveling, and pursuing hobbies and interests.  Guess what! UCP Oregon’s “Bill Porter Memorial Fund” (BPMF) will open at 8am on March 1st! Woo hoo! We’ll be accepting applications from 8am on March 1st through 5pm on March 31st, 2024. Learn more about the Fund here. UCP Oregon created the Bill Porter Memorial Fund in 2018, with the goal of assisting our customers to live self-directed lives full of autonomy, independence, and dignity. Over the years, our customers have used the Fund for a variety of purposes, such as taking a class, modifying their home, traveling, and pursuing hobbies and interests. Quick Info:
 Wow! We did it! UCP Oregon’s 2023 Toy Giveaway was AMAZING!
The event was held on December 21st and 22nd, 2023, and was open to all families who use UCP Oregon’s Family Support Services. Fun Facts:
Special Thanks Go To:
We had so much fun at our 2023 Cinnamon Bear Cruise.
Almost 100 families from UCP Oregon's Family Support Department were able to participate! These families are raising children who experience cerebral palsy or a closely related disability. On December 2, 2023, they gathered together, with UCP's Holiday Elf in Chief (UCP's Executive Director, Ann Coffey) on the Portland Spirit. They enjoyed a festive boat ride down the Willamette River, partaking in a delicious meal as a cast of fanciful characters entertained the children with holiday-themed storytelling, music and magic. Thanks to everyone who participated! PS: It's not too late to sponsor a child, a family... or even several families! Donate below. This is cool! At our upcoming Family Support Conference (which will be held November 3-4), we'll be showing a documentary called Including Us: Exceptional Teens at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The documentary is a rare insider's look backstage at the building of Hairspray for the 2019 season of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It focuses on four teenagers who experience disabilities who were hired as professional actors for the ten-month run. Included in the cast were two teens that are in UCP Oregon’s Family Support Program. The documentary has not yet been released to the public. UCP has been given special permission for this one-time viewing. NOTE: Photo credit to photographer Jenny Graham. ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE?
We'll be showing the documentary in the main ballroom at 4pm on Friday, November 3rd. See you then!  Are you a member of UCP Family Support Department? Have you been eagerly awaiting our next OMSI Play Lab?
We're excited to announce our next Play Lab date:
The theme is "Be a Naturalist." Participants will be able to explore the natural world and the clues that animals leave behind. Participants will meet insects and practice skills like categorization and observations Each Play Lab includes an hour-long, hands-on, family-centered STEM program, followed by unstructured play time at OMSI. Every participating family will receive a free year-long family membership to OMSI! NOTES:
Wow! What a fun weekend! Last weekend, several of the dads from UCP Oregon's Family Support Department attended our first ever “For Dads Only” Cabin Weekend! This was a chance for UCP dads to have a weekend away to relax and regroup. They played disc golf, did a 2.5 mile hike, went for mountain bike rides, and sat by a campfire. UCP supplied tons of snacks and beverages. There were a couple of wasp stings. Ouch! But they survived and connected, and, to quote one dad, “It was honestly perfect for me! The park was GREAT! Thank you so much for making things like this happen for us! It’s something we would not have planned for ourselves. And thanks for the drinks and snacks!” They spent two night at the beautiful L.L. Stub Stewart State Park. A gigantic thank you to the "Explore Cabins and Yurts program" at Oregon State Parks for gifting the cabin stays! And another giant thank you to Katherine Ball, UCP's Family Support Director, for organizing the trip!  We’d like to share some great “behind-the-scenes” news.
UCP applied for—and received—funds via the federal government’s Employee Retention Credit (ERC). After we received the funds, we asked all of our departments to create a “wish list” of wants and needs. Below are some of the items from those wishlists that we’ll be funding in the coming months:
We’d like to thank Esther Large (UCP’s Finance Director) and John Hancock (a long-term member of UCP’s Board of Directors), for their work related to the ERC funds! We’d also like to thank the entire UCP Board of Directors for their ongoing commitment to supporting UCP’s workforce and our delivery of quality services. This is so cool! Last weekend, several UCP Oregon families were able to spend a weekend at an amazing campground in Yakima, Washington—for free! Camp Prime Time is a nonprofit, and it focuses on children who experience disabilities or who are seriously ill. UCP campers had their choice of activities, including an accessible pontoon boat ride, a ride on an antique wagon, accessible horseback riding, and an accessible bonfire with a marshmallow roast. There was even a wheelchair-accessible treehouse! A gigantic thank you to Katherine Lee Ball, Director of UCP Oregon’s Family Support Department, for applying for UCP to attend and organizing the whole trip! And thanks to a UCP Family Support member, Stephanie, for sharing many of these awesome photos! |
