Independence Insider: April 2

Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy | April 2021

NEW FACES at AUCP

Erica Hunsicker Team AmeriHealth

Welcome aboard, we’re so glad to have you!

2021 VIRTUAL HIGHMARK WALK

We are almost to the halfway point of the 2021 Virtual Highmark Walk and we are blown away by your support! Each year we set goals for fundraising and "friendraising." This year, our goals were to raise $7,500 and have 105 walkers registered between both walks. So far, we have raised over $2,000 and have 106 walkers registered!

While we are blown away by surpassing our walker goal, we are still eager to reach our fundraising goal! That's where you come in. Can we count on you for support?

Here’s how you can help: 1. Register: This is the first step towards supporting AUCP, follow the link below!

2. Share: Support from outside agencies and individuals is our biggest help when it comes to the Highmark Walk!

3. Recruit: Grow your team by asking friends and family to walk with you!

4. Stay tuned: Visit us on Facebook to stay up-to-date.

Visit our website to learn more about how you can make a difference in your community and support us in the Highmark Walk: www.scalucp.org/hmw2021

COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC VOLUNTEERS In March AUCP staff were given a few opportunities to volunteer at Covid-19 Vaccine Clinics in the southwestern part of the state. We were able to send 7 staff to 3 different locations where vaccines were being given. Staff member, Samantha Graham (pictured) volunteered at the Somerset High School clinic on Thursday, March 25th. She gave individuals their vaccine cards and let them know they would be getting their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Additionally, AUCP staff have been busy making hundreds of phone calls to their participants and have scheduled many of them to receive their Covid-19 vaccines.

If you are a participant of AUCP and would like to be scheduled to receive your Covid-19 vaccine, please reach out to your ServIce Coordinator to do so.

To learn more about the Covid-19 vaccinations, please visit the CDC website at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html

UCP

Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy Service Coordination

844.819.4455 | WWW.SCALUCP.ORG | INFO@SCALUCP.ORG

STAFF HIGHLIGHT - Ryann Love For April’s staff highlight, we have Ryann Love who is part of our AmeriHealth team serving Northumberland, Union, Snyder, and Juniata counties. She will be celebrating her 1 year anniversary with AUCP soon. Ryann attended Keystone College and Marywood University.

Ryann lives with her husband of 2 years (pictured) and their two guinea pigs, Han Solo and Chewbacca. She says they’re her pride and joy. Some of her favorite interests are learning about animals, going to the gym, and relaxing.

She also loves to travel, her favorite place that she’s been to so far is the Bahamas.

Her biggest goal in life is to make a difference in other lives. It is rewarding when she feels like she is making a positive impact in someone’s life. If she did not work at AUCP, her inner child would have her working in a veterinarian's office since she has always loved animals.

The thing she likes most about working at AUCP is the supportiveness of the company and her team. She says

this is the most supportive company she has ever worked for. The most challenging part of the job for Ryann is having barriers to a participant’s services. You want to do everything possible to help reduce the barriers to give the participant what they need, but sometimes it takes time, which can be out of the Service Coordinator’s control.

One of Ryann's supervisors, Linda Freidhoff, only has wonderful things to say about her. "From the start, Ryann was eager to learn as much as possible and took off running. She is a quick learner... and is not afraid to tackle some tough issues. Team AmeriHealth has benefited from Ryann's quick understanding of the processes and she has offered to train and assist the team within a very short time of being employed at this agency. Ryann has been a delightful addition to Team AmeriHealth, she brings joy and liveliness to our team!

Ryann has a knack for knowing what to say and has a talent for coming up with some creative ideas to bring unity to Team AmeriHealth."

AUCP RE-USE IT PROGRAMS

Our medical Re-Use It program accepts donations and redistributes medical equipment and assistive technology to the public for free. All of this is done through a grant provided by Tech Owl and Temple University. These items are inventoried and stored at our Johnstown or Hanover locations.

If you, or someone you know, are in need of any medical equipment or assistive technology, please contact Jessica Backus at (814) 915-4540 or Jocelyn Hartman at (814) 915-4055. You can also visit our website for more information: http://bit.ly/aucp-reuse-it.

Much like our medical equipment ReUse It program, AUCP is excited to offer our Baby ReUse It program. Over the last few months, our Community Health Workers have been collecting baby items (bouncers, pack and plays, strollers, etc) and clothing for parents and community members in need. They began this when they saw a need for items like these when working with the families that they serve. All of the items are inventoried and stored at our Johnstown office.

If you or someone you know are in need of any of the items that we have, please contact Christy Berzonski at (814) 915-4893 or Cait Farber at (814) 915-2790.

For both of our Re-Use It programs, donations and pick-ups are approved and accepted by appointment only. Scan the link to the left to see a current list of inventory items for both programs.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

AUCP’s REUSE IT program accepts donations and redistributes medical equipment and assistive technology to the public for free.

The UCP ELSIE S. BELLOW’S FUND is a national program providing funds to individuals with disabilities for assistive technology.

AUCP’s SCHOLARSHIP FUND grants scholarhsips to two high school seniors pursuing a degree in the human services field each Spring.

PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAMS ABOVE!

CONTACT US TODAY!

TOLL FREE: 844.819.4455 LOCAL: 814.619.3398 FAX: 814.262.7174

OFFICE LOCATIONS: Johnstown, Altoona, & Pittsburgh

@AllegheniesUCP @AllegheniesUnitedCerebralPalsy @AllegheniesUCP