 Happy September! And happy third birthday to UCP Mentors!
UCP Oregon has been offering brokerage services (under the name of “UCP Connections”) since 2010. At the height of the COVID pandemic in 2021, we took on the challenge of launching a second brokerage, which we named “UCP Mentors.” Establishing a new brokerage during such a turbulent time was no small feat, but it was a crucial step. Our goal was to ensure that over 600 brokerage customers, previously served by a closing brokerage, continued to receive the quality support they deserved. And here we are—three years later. We’re proud to report that UCP Mentors is thriving. Today, and always, we wish to extend a gigantic thank you to:
PS: UCP Connections is still thriving. Next year, Connections will be celebrating their 15th birthday!  It’s September.
You know what that means. Crisp leaves. Pumpkin spice lattes. And a gigantic “happy birthday” to UCP Mentors, which is turning two. UCP Oregon has been offering brokerage services (as UCP Connections) since 2010. In 2021, we added a second brokerage, which we named UCP Mentors. Our goal was to serve the 600+ brokerage customers who had been previously served by The Mentor Network. And here we are—two years later. UCP Mentors is thriving. And we owe it all to our awesome customers and staff. As Sarah Noack, Director of Brokerage Services says, “UCP Mentors would not be the honorable, big-hearted, tenacious group we are today without each and every single one of you. Thank you! Happy anniversary!”  Are you passionate about social justice? Would you love to work one-on-one with customers from diverse backgrounds and experiences, supporting them to live their best lives?
If so, UCP Oregon might have the perfect opportunity for you! We are currently seeking a Personal Agent (Caseload Manager), who will work in one of our support services brokerages (“UCP Mentors”). As a Personal Agent, you’ll support 36-40 adults to navigate the support services system; secure resources and services; and address their health and safety needs. You’ll also advocate with (and for) your customers; manage intensive paperwork; monitor the quality of services; and ensure choice and independence. You’ll be part of a team that is a collaborative, fun, and diverse. After passing your introductory evaluation, you will have the opportunity to work a hybrid schedule (partially working from home).  As you may know, UCP’s second brokerage, UCP Mentors, just celebrated its first birthday.
To celebrate, Sasha Vidales, the UCP Mentors Brokerage Director coordinated an event called “UCP Day at Camp.” Employees from both brokerages attended. They explored the trails, practiced archery, navigated the aerial course, did some arts and crafts, and more! PS: a giant shout out to Sasha for coordinating the event. It was so much fun!  Happy first birthday to UCP Mentors!
One year ago (on September 1, 2021), UCP Oregon officially opened our second brokerage, UCP Mentors Brokerage. Since then, we have welcomed over 500 customers and 26 employees to Mentors. Wow! As Sasha Vidales, the UCP Mentors Brokerage Director says, “Please join us in celebrating with Mentors’ customers and employees. We look forward to providing person-centered services at both of UCP’s brokerages for years to come!”  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! How can we all get involved in supporting the AAPI community?
 Hi, everyone! We just wanted to say… “Happy 6-month anniversary to UCP Mentors!”
As you probably know, UCP Oregon launched UCP Mentors (our second brokerage) on September 1, 2021. Six months later, UCP Mentors is going strong… and so is our original brokerage (UCP Connections). Here are some interesting facts about UCP Mentors:
 From the Desk of Sarah Noack, Brokerage Director, UCP Oregon
Greetings, all! As I reflect on the past year, there were beautiful highlights and certainly many difficult lowlights. In the spring of 2021, I could not have imagined how I would be catapulted out of my home office and into a massive undertaking—establishing a second brokerage (“UCP Mentors”) in order to take on the customers from another brokerage (“Mentor”) that was closing. In some ways, taking on 600+ customers and starting a second brokerage was completely unfathomable to consider amidst a pandemic. In other ways, it provided the perfect opportunity to shift focus onto something fresh and energizing. I knew that I wanted to be a part of a safety net that could catch Mentor’s customers and employees. And I knew UCP had the organizational values and foundation to do right by folks. What I didn’t know was how powerfully the community would come together to make that happen. All of UCP’s existing (and new!) brokerage employees gave so much—their skills, gifts, and efforts—to make absolutely certain we were ready for our new customers. Every single need was met with “here is what I can do.” People stayed focused and positive even when we were overwhelmed. Problems were met with curiosity and tenacity. And through those months, the team of former Mentor employees stepped bravely forward, responding with heart and grit and hope and determination. When UCP Mentors opened on September 1, I felt like we had successfully landed the Millennium Falcon! I am so grateful for everyone, whether they served as Chewie, Yoda, Han, or members of the band that plays the funky music in the cantina. Here we are four months later. The dust is settling. And we see what lies ahead--more rebuilding, more growth, some healing, and lots more work. But for now, I want to pause for a moment and say “three cheers” to everyone who was involved. Hooray for us all! Here is to collaboration, community, and customers! Happy New Year! --Sarah Noack, Brokerage Director  As you may know, UCP Oregon has been offering brokerage services since 2010, under the name “UCP Connections.”
Effective September 1st, we added a second brokerage (“UCP Mentors”), in order to serve brokerage customers that had been previously served by The Mentor Network. This is a big change; we’re now supporting 600 additional brokerage customers! At the heart of this transition are the employees. We were able to bring over an amazing team from The Mentor Network. We also promoted several folks internally, and hired several talented, passionate new team members from outside UCP. We also made changes at the management level. We created a new “Director of Brokerage Services” position, which will be held by UCP’s former Brokerage Director, Sarah Noack. Tara Coen was promoted to serve as Brokerage Director for UCP Connections; Sasha Vidales (a former employee of The Mentor Network and founder of Creative Goal Solutions) was hired to serve as Brokerage Director for UCP Mentors!  We have big news!
At the beginning of June, we learned that one of our peer agencies (The Mentor Network) was closing their services in Oregon, including their brokerage services. UCP Oregon—in partnership with Oregon’s Department of Human Services Office of IDD Services—made the decision to support 600 of Mentor Oregon’s former brokerage customers. We’re keeping our existing brokerage ("UCP Connections"), and adding a second brokerage ("UCP Mentors") to serve the new customers. We’re hiring additional brokerage staff, and also adding a “solid gold” team of former Mentor employees, who bring a wealth of experience, heart, and commitment to their customers. These new customers and staff joined us, effective September 1st. UCP’s two brokerages will function as two united yet distinct entities. We understand this change came as a surprise, and that everyone will have different feelings and thoughts. We are offering information sessions for customers affected by this change, ensuring they have the chance to ask questions and share their voices. As time goes on, we’ll be sharing more information about this big change. But, in the meantime, we hope you’ll join us in welcoming our new customers and employees. |