by ucpsc | Sep 10, 2018 | Uncategorized
National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week is September 9-15, 2018! United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of South Carolina joins organizations across the country in celebrating the Direct Support team members who enhance the lives of people with I/DD who look to them for support and care.
To those at UCP who hold these vital positions, you need to know how we value you and the work you do. We know how challenging, complex and rewarding your work can be. We know your work is demanding, with very high expectations related to your performance. You are the backbone of UCP, and we are enormously proud of you!
While we may not share our thanks and admiration often enough, please know you have it! We see the results of your work every day:
- When someone UCP supports smiles with joy,
- When they arrive at an activity with excitement,
- When they share a great story of something they enjoyed,
- When they accomplish a goal with great pride …
… these are all demonstrations of your commitment to them and to their success.
Often, the people we support accomplish big things, and there are also small things that happen every single day that are the rewards of your work. This is how we witness the value and effectiveness of your work, and the importance of your role.
Today, and every day, please know UCP of South Carolina appreciates your work and the commitment you demonstrate to those we support!
by ucpsc | May 9, 2018 | Uncategorized
The 5th Annual Midlands Gives online giving day wrapped up on Tuesday, May 1 and it was another great day of celebrating philanthropy in our communities! It was our fourth year participating in this event and it ended up being our best one yet!
Thanks to generous donors and a $1,500 matching funds challenge, $3,900 was raised for UCP of South Carolina during this year’s event! These contributions will go toward providing arts instruction at our day program from ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA, who also provided the match. In addition, supporters gave more than $1.7 million during Midlands Gives to 372 nonprofits from 11 counties! We’re so proud to have been a part of this incredible day of giving!
We are so grateful to our wonderful donors and ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA for making our Midlands Gives day a great success. It would not have been possible without their kindness and generosity, and we are so appreciative of their support! We look forward to working with ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA to create some really fun and unique art opportunities at our day program!
by ucpsc | Apr 5, 2018 | Uncategorized
We are so excited to be a part of this year’s 5th Annual Midlands Gives online giving day on Tuesday, May 1! From 12:00:01 a.m. until 11:59:59 p.m., donors can visit www.MidlandsGives.org to donate $20 or more to their favorite charities.
This year, we are raising funds to provide arts instruction at our day program through ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA! ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA is a statewide nonprofit organization that provides quality arts experiences to children, youth, and adults with disabilities. They work with disability and arts professionals and advocates throughout the state to establish inclusive places, programs, and communities dedicated to the arts and people with disabilities.
Our Midlands Gives fundraising goal is $1,500, which would cover 15 weeks worth of lessons. In addition, ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA has generously agreed to match our Midlands Gives donations up to $1500, stretching your dollars even further and providing more opportunities for quality arts instruction and activities! So $20 becomes $40, $50 becomes $100, and so on until we’ve met our $1,500 goal! Our day program has taken some wonderful courses with ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA before, including photography, pottery, and flower arrangements. You can learn more about their work at https://www.artsaccesssc.org/!
During last year’s Midlands Gives, generous supporters gave a collective $1.6 million to more than 370 charities in the 11-county Midlands region. We’ve been so proud to be part of this event these last few years, and we hope this year will be the best one yet!
If you have any questions about Midlands Gives, please contact our development coordinator, Alanna Boozer, at 803-926-8878 or aboozer@ucpsc.org. You can also check our Facebook and Twitter profiles for updates leading up to the big day! We hope you will join us on Tuesday, May 1 for this exciting day of philanthropy in our community!
by ucpsc | Jun 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
We are so excited to be a part of this year’s Midlands Gives online giving day on Tuesday, May 2! From 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m., donors can visit the MidlandsGives.org website to donate $20 or more to their favorite charities. Last year, generous supporters gave a collective $1.6 million to 370 charities in the 11-county Midlands region. We are so proud to be part of such an incredible day of philanthropy and we hope this year’s event will be the best one yet!
However, this event won’t be successful without your help! On Midlands Gives Day, please visit our Midlands Gives profile and make a donation of $20 or more. All of the proceeds raised on our behalf will go toward supporting and enhancing services designed to help those we serve meet their goals and live full and meaningful lives. Throughout the day, all contributions have the opportunity to be stretched even further through sponsored prizes. A full list of prizes is available here, including the schedule for the six power hour contests. During these scheduled contests, the two non-profits (one large and one small) with the most unique donors for that hour will have an extra $1,000 added to their giving day total!
Other ways to help with Midlands Gives:
1) Spread the word about Midlands Gives with your friends, family, co-workers and encourage them to give on May 2!
2) If you are a family member of someone served by UCP of South Carolina, a staff member, or volunteer, we want to hear from you! If you don’t have social media, send your pictures and stories about how UCP has impacted your life and your loved one’s life to aboozer@ucpsc.org, and we’ll share them on our Facebook page and Twitter accounts! Or, if you do have social media, you can share your stories directly on our pages! When talking about UCP and Midlands Gives on social media, be sure to use the hashtag #MidlandsGives to be part of the larger discussion!
If you have any questions about Midlands Gives, please contact our development coordinator, Alanna Boozer, at 803-926-8878 or aboozer@ucpsc.org. We can’t wait for you to join us in celebrating Midlands Gives on Tuesday, May 2!
by ucpsc | Jun 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
Every year, thousands of athletes from around the world push their bodies to their physical limits in the Spartan Sprint races. Participants race along 3.5 miles of trails featuring 20+ obstacles, including wall jumps, rope climbs, and carrying 40-pound sandbags.
For the average person, the race is brutal. Now imagine doing the race with limited fine-motor control in one hand. Imagine racing when just walking heel-to-toe is difficult. Cerebral Palsy added those challenges to the race for Charleston resident John Sherrill. Still, he completed four races in 2016, showing his fellow competitors what it’s like to live a Life Without Limits. Completing the races required adaptability, persistence, and supportive teammates, but he approached each race as any other athlete.
Since his friend Herman dared him to join his team a year-and-a-half ago, John has transformed from self-described couch potato to certified Spartan finisher! He has changed his eating habits and trains with Herman five days a week. He refers to himself as a “grinder;” he isn’t the fastest competitor, but he finishes the race.
Challenging himself physically was his main goal but he also believed it was important to race for people who have greater physical limitations than he. So John suggested to Herman that their team raise funds for United Cerebral Palsy of South Carolina during 2016. By the end of the year, they had raised more than $3,000 to benefit those we serve at UCP!
John wrote to us in December to share his incredible story. Along with his letter, he sent a Spartan t-shirt and one of his Spartan medals to give to an individual with Cerebral Palsy who lives the Spartan mission statement:
“We are Spartans on and off the course. We believe in changing your frame of reference and transforming your life. Spartans laugh in the face of failure and continue forward. We welcome challenges and embrace discomfort. Be active. Be curious. Be human. We are unbreakable. We are strong. WE ARE SPARTAN.”
We recently presented the t-shirt and medal to Preston, whose courage and determination inspire us daily. Preston has had physical challenges with Cerebral Palsy but he has lived a Life Without Limits. He graduated from community college with a liberal arts degree; earned multiple gold and silver medals from the Special Olympics; and has written six books. To us, Preston IS a Spartan! As you can see from the picture, he wears the shirt and medal with great pride!
Thank you, John, for your team’s commitment to help those we serve at UCP of South Carolina. You inspire our team in our mission to empower with people with disabilities!
by ucpsc | Jun 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
On Saturday, April 22, UCP of South Carolina will hold our fifth annual Ride for a Life fundraiser! The event is being led for the fourth year in a row by our friends from the Mad Hatters Riding Club. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. at the UCP of South Carolina office with kickstands up at 11 a.m. Riders will stop at several different points in the community with an after party starting at 3 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the ride will be rescheduled for April 29, 2017. Registration is $10 for a single rider; $15 for a couple; and $50 for a group of five riders. Event t-shirts are included at no extra cost for those who pre-register online. T-shirts are $10 per person for those who register the day of the event. For more information, please contact Alanna Boozer, Development Coordinator, at 803-926-8878 or aboozer@ucpsc.org
