Life without limits for people with disabilities
UCP of Mobile’s mission is simple – promoting the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. For us, Independence Day is every day!
Click the link below to be a part of continued independence for those with disabilities in our community.
Written by: Lauren Luckie
United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile is happy to present the #UCPSpotlight Series. Each month we will be featuring clients, staff, board members, volunteers and programs! There are no shortage of incredible stories from our organization and we are proud to share some of them with you.
Introducing Sarah Sumrall, a member of UCP’s Board of Directors. Sarah has been a member of the board since the start of 2020. For the last 17 years, Sarah has been employed at Crowne Health Care of Mobile. She acts as their Social Services Designee, making her an important advocate for the residents and their families.
Sarah is a Mobile, Ala. Native, having attended Baker High School, Faulkner State Community College (now Alabama Coastal Community College), and the University of Mobile. When she is not at work, she enjoys time with her husband and their rescue dog, Gail.
Fitting with March being National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, Sarah opened up a bit about her own experience having cerebral palsy. “I’m blessed to have a mild case [of cerebral palsy] on my left side. I’ve never considered myself disabled and my CP only has small impacts on my daily life. CP has helped me have empathy for others.” When addressing one of the biggest misconceptions about cerebral palsy, Sarah said, “People often misconstrue CP as always affecting a person’s cognitive abilities, but it often does not.” CP has gotten Sarah to find a few creative work-arounds for some everyday tasks. “For example, I can tie my shoes with one hand,” Sarah says.
How did Sarah’s path lead her to her current involvement with UCP of Mobile? “I interned with UCP my senior year at the University of Mobile,” she mentioned. Having that experience under her belt, Sarah was later invited to become more involved with the organization by close, personal friends. “UCP has done an excellent job given the challenges [of COVID-19]. We’ve aggressively promoted our fundraisers, which reduced the unavoidable drop in fundraising and made sure our mission continued.”
As our community slowly starts to open back up, Sarah expressed her excitement about getting more personally involved with the mission of UCP: promoting the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. When asked about something she was surprised to learn about UCP as a board member, Sarah stated “the many ways UCP is involved in the community, such as the electronics recycling program.”
Thank you, Sarah, for opening up to us about your story! Please look forward to more features like this each month. If you or a family member would like to share your experience with our organization, please contact us at 251-479-4900.
UCP is once again planning to celebrate Mardi Gras in style! Purchase a UCP Mardi Gras Tee or a Mardi Gras Mask. COVID may have changed the way we celebrate this year, but we hope to keep the spirit alive with this fun and festive Mardi Gras gear!
Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner. Make the celebration easier and order your game-day feast ahead of time. UCP is teaming up with award-winning Wild Bunch Butt Burners Cooking Team for our Butts and Ribs sale! Boston Butt and Racks of Ribs will be prepared ahead of time and packed for easy reheating. The deadline to order is February 1st so make sure to get your order in today! Visit the link below to put in your order and if you have any questions call (251) 479-4900.
“COVID-19 cases and deaths are rising across the United States. The more steps you and your family can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the safer you will be.
In the last week, there has been an average of more than 212,000 cases per day. As of January 4, more than 20,666,700 people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus and 351,682 have lost their lives.
About 20 percent of hospitals with intensive care units reported that at least 95 percent of their I.C.U. beds were full in the week ending Dec. 24. It is critical at this time for everyone to take measures to try to reduce the number of people sick and protect themselves and their loved ones from not only the coronavirus, but from our hospitals reaching a dangerous breaking point.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) urges everyone to take these easy steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19:
· Wear a mask to protect yourself and others and stop the spread of COVID-19.
· Stay at least six feet away from others who don’t live with you.
· Avoid crowds.
· If you are going out, avoid poorly ventilated indoor spaces and wash your hands often. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.”
Thank you for considering United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile for you Giving Tuesday gift! Please support us by contributing to our donation page, or by creating your own. If you plan to create your own page, please feel free to share your own personal story and the impact that UCP has had in your life, or the impact you have witnessed UCP have on others.
The help and generosity of people like you makes a lasting impact on those we serve. UCP’s mission is to promote the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Any contribution you make today will help individuals in our community meet and exceed their goals!
In addition, we have an anonymous donor who has agreed to match every donation up to $6,000. This means that your gift will have an even greater impact! A $25 gift is transformed to a $50 gift, $500 is now $1,000!
All proceeds from the 2020 Giving Tuesday Campaign will benefit UCP Preschool and Camp SMILE. These programs have both touched so many lives.
A gift made to UCP Preschool will assist teachers and aids in ensuring our classrooms are safe, healthy and educational for every student who walks through our doors. For example, a gift of $25 can be used to purchase new classroom manipulatives. A gift of $100 can be used sensory integration lab equipment. Many of our students have trouble putting together information from all of their senses which can lead to difficulty in the classroom and with activities of daily living. The SI Lab will be a combination of activities and equipment that our students can use to help them learn to organize their sensory input, self regulate and have improved independence and motor planning ability!
Gifts benefitting Camp SMILE open the doors to adventure for many campers. A gift as small as $15 could help pay for one camper’s entire week of art supplies. Many of our art projects are sensory driven, and reflect the theme of the summer. Each year, a homemade picture frame craft is completed so that campers may hang their camper-counselor picture from the summer. A $380 gift provides a Campership for a camper who could otherwise not afford to attend!
Any gift you make is important to those we serve and we appreciate your heartfelt consideration!
Although we won’t be able to hold a traditional Food and Folly this year, we will be making the best of the cards we’ve been dealt. This year we’ll be hosting Food & Folly “at Home”! We have partnered with Georgia Rousso’s to provide to-go dinners. As always, the fun of Food and Folly includes a silent auction and a wine grab. This year’s virtual silent auction includes big ticket items such as a specialty bourbon basket or an Orange Beach vacation! For a $25 ticket, the wine grab gets you a mystery bottle of wine as well as a chance to win a bottle of Dom Pérignon! Make sure to get in on the action before it’s too late, the wine grab closes off on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. and the wine grab closes at 7:00 p.m. that afternoon. Don’t miss out on the fun, click the links above to check out both the silent auction and wine grab.
This month we are celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). National Disability Employment Awareness Month celebrates the ingenuity people with disabilities bring to America’s workplaces.” Each October, NDEAM celebrates America’s workers with disabilities and reminds employers of the importance of inclusive hiring practices. We are very proud of our Supported Employment program here at UCP. Our SE program currently services roughly 150 individuals across three counties providing them with vital career skills. For more information on our SE program, please visit http://www.ucpmobile.org/ucp-programs/adult-services/supported-employment/ or call UCP at (251) 479-4900.
UCP of Mobile has made the hard decision to postpone the 2020 Christmas Night of Lights 5K & Fun Run. Our main priority is the safety and health of those we serve and of our supporters. We know there are many people that look forward to this event every year, and we are already anticipating the race in 2021. Once again, we’d like to thank the Mobile Sports and Entertainment Group. Their partnership has played a critical role in the continued success of the Christmas Night of Lights 5K and Fun Run. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to drive through the lights when they open up!
If you need any assistance pertaining to Hurricane Sally, please call United Way at 211.