Thanks to everyone who made the 2019 Friends Breakfast (held on May 7th) great!
Kudos to UCP's own Matt Aldapa, who did a stellar job wrangling numerous logistical details, and preparing our customers to share their stories. Kudos as well go to UCP's Mike Miller, Nicholas Knudson, and Jamal Robert. Each assisted customers (Ronda, Sawyer, and Jodie) to present their stories masterfully. Kudos as well to UCP's Sarah Noack for her clear explanation of UCP's work in the community. Kudos to Michael Steen, UCP's Board President, for a lovely tribute to Jerry Pattee and John Calhoun. Finally, hurray for our emcee extraordinaire, Xochil Springer! Once again, she added her talent, wit, and love of UCP to the event. Thank you, everyone! Are you attending UCP Oregon's 2019 Friends Breakfast? Friends is our annual informational and networking event featuring customers, families, employers, and community partners who share our vision of a community for everyone.
This year it will be held on Tuesday, May 7th at the Multnomah Athletic Club. We're excited to announce that we've invited Michael Allen Nesmith, from Amazon, to be our 2019 Keynote speaker. Michael is a deaf and native American Sign Language speaker who works as the Art Director and creative designer for Amazon based. Throughout his career, Michael's visual/conceptual way of thinking and problem solving have served him both as an asset and a challenge. He finds solutions around his and other’s disability through Universal Design.
 UCP Oregon is pleased to announce that Marie Blanchard will be the Ambassador for the 2018 Walk, Roll 'n' Run (WRR). Marie experiences cerebral palsy, and has been an important part of the WRR since the very first event (in 2005), when she was the main organizer and captain of a WRR team. She was 13 that year and did all the organizing herself. She's been a team captain ever since. Each year, she reaches out to everyone she knows, requesting that they join her team or sponsor her for the event. She loves UCP and raises funds for UCP all year long, not just during the WRR. She’s raised more than $45,000 since 2005! Marie will receive her honors from at our upcoming UCP Friends Breakfast on Tuesday, May 15th.  If you’ve been to a recent meeting at the UCP Oregon Office, you might have noticed a really cool painting in our large conference room.
This huge artwork was created for us by Aaron Rasmussen; who created it on commission through another local non-profit, Art From the Heart. To create the painting, Aaron studied UCP’s main mission and values statements, plus any mission statements created by individual departments. We love this painting—so much that we’re using it in the materials for this year’s Friends Breakfast!  We have a couple of exciting announcements about the 2018 UCP Friends Breakfast. EVENT THEME: "Pursuing Passionate Purpose"First of all, the theme will be “Pursuing Passionate Purpose.” This theme is inspired by the life and legacy of Bill Porter (1932-2013) – a Portlander who experienced cerebral palsy. He was an award-winning salesman, son, and friend… and an accidental icon. Despite being told he was unemployable, Bill was one of The Watkin’s Company’s most successful door-to-door salesman. Bill’s determination to just go to work, pay his bills, and take care of his family caught the attention of a writer at The Oregonian. Next, he appeared on ABC’s 20/20 and TNT released a made for television movie about him (Door to Door). Bill wasn’t looking for attention; instead, he was pursuing his purpose and in doing so, he created a legacy that will benefit others in our community for years to come. We will also be sharing other stories of people in our community who are passionately pursuing their purpose. Keynote Speaker: UCP Mom and City Commissioner, Chloe Eudaly
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