Today is “Giving Tuesday.”
 
Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for you to show your love and support for the communities and causes that matter to you. 

Are YOU in?

​Donate to UCP Oregon today!

Hey! Did you know that you can raise FREE money for UCP while you do your shopping?

At Fred Meyer, if you assign "UCP Oregon" as your non-profit of choice, UCP Oregon will get free money every time you shop.

Ditto Amazon, if you use the "Amazon Smiles" program.

​Thanks for helping out! And, remember, it's free!

It's almost Thanksgiving, here in Oregon.

In years past, the UCP office had a "Gratitude Tree" on the wall, where employees and customers could add colorful paper leaves, writing down all the things we were grateful for.

So, consider this post our "Digital Gratitude Tree."

UCP OREGON IS SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU: our customers, employees, supporters, and friends.
 
Each of you matters. Each of you makes a difference in our lives. Thank you for being here.
 

Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)!
 
As you might have seen, we recently profiled one of UCP’s customers, Emanuel. Emanuel uses supports from UCP Oregon to work at a Portland-area hospital as a Transportation Aid.
 
So now we’re profiling one of our employees, Lara, who works with Emanuel. Lara is a Job Coach at UCP, and has been working for UCP for three years.
 
Here’s what Lara has to say about working with Emanuel:
 
How long have you been working with Emanuel?
 
“Emanuel and I began working together early in 2021. At that time, our Supported Employment team wasn’t providing in-person supports due to the pandemic, so initially, Emanuel and I communicated primarily through text message. Over time, we developed the plan we have now, which is a combination of remote and in-person support.”

How would you describe Emanuel?

“Emanuel has incredible perseverance; he maintains his job as a front-line worker in the pandemic while also balancing time consuming personal obligations every day. I appreciate that, despite working exhaustingly long hours, Emanuel still has the capacity to be a forward thinker and outline aspirations for his future. Emanuel is an incredibly caring person and a thoughtful communicator.”

Thanks for the info, Lara!

PS: You can learn more about UCP Oregon’s Supported Employment division (“Employment Solutions”) here.

As you probably know, we recently held an online chat with a UCP mom, Lenore Eklund, who wrote a book  (Release: A NICU Fairytale). Lenore discussed the process of dealing with NICU trauma.

The event went really well! It was attended by several UCP families, friends of families, and educators. Many different experiences and perspectives were shared.

Lenore said she woke up the next day feeling "so invigorated!"

Lenore added, "I think the conversation deepened the understanding of what families experience in the NICU. I also think the connections made between those in attendance will help grow the network of support that is so vital for this medical marathon most of us are on."

Even more exciting--Lenore said that there was talk about creating more space for releasing trauma through art. "It is something I'm really interested in, so I am looking forward to exploring more of this with the community."

Woo hoo! Thanks to Lenore for speaking, Katherine Ball for coordinating, and all the attendees!