November Independence Insider by Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy

UCP

Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy Service Coordination

November 2019

Independence Insider #PICKYOURPASSIONAUCP With the holidays upon us and the spirit of giving in the air, AUCP wanted to do something a little different this year. Instead of hosting a fundraiser for Giving Tuesday, the International Day of Giving, we are encouraging staff to “pick their passion” and go out into their communities to give their time. So, throughout the entire month of November we are giving our staff the opportunity to volunteer at any charity of their choice. We are excited to see what our staff members are passionate about in hopes to align with the ways they enjoy serving. Throughout the month we will be sharing stories and pictures of our staff serving. To stay up-to-date be sure to follow us on social media by searching #PickYourPassionAUCP.

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER PARTY

On Saturday, October 19th, 2019 we hosted our first-ever Murder Mystery dinner fundraiser, “Murder at the Drac Shack Chalet.” The event was a huge success, bringing in over $3,200 in profit and 125 tickets sold. Guests are still raving about the interactive show provided by Musical Mysteries and More! and the food served. To see more pictures and updates from the evening, go to www.scalucp.org/murdermystery. The dinner was sponsored by 1st Summit Bank of Johnstown with other donations provided by Somerset Cambria Remodelers, Blackburn's, Bayada Home Health Care, Abarta Coca-Cola of Ebensburg, Galliker's Dairy Co. of Johnstown, and Stagers Store in Portage. Additionally, we would like to thank all of the staff and volunteers that helped make the night a success, we appreciate your willingness to step up and serve! All proceeds from the evening go directly towards our Community Fund that allows us to support members of our community in various ways. If you’d like to learn more about our Community Fund, visit our website at www.scalucp.org/communityresources/communityfund/.

staff highlight

NEW FACES AT AUCP

Emily Grenat IT Support Specialist Interested in learning more about a specific topic? Have a great story to tell? Email us today at jhartman@scalucp.org.

Our November staff highlight is Jessica Pulliam Petrunak from Windber, PA. Jessica has been with the agency for 5 years starting out as a Service Coordinator, to Lead Staff, then Supervisor, and recently she was promoted to Programs Manager. Jessica graduated from Penn State University with an A.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and a B.A. in Organizational Leadership with a minor in Sociology. She has been married to her husband, Mike, for 8 years and they adopted a dog named Willie 3 years ago (pictured above.) Some of her favorite hobbies include cooking and crafting. Her biggest goal in life is to never stop learning and evolving as a person. Her coworjers would say that if she didn’t work at AUCP, she should work for Google, but Jessica says she’d love to teach at a high school or college level. Her favorite part about working at AUCP is that everyday is completely different and it keeps her on her toes. The thing she finds most challenging about her position is the same thing she finds most rewarding and that is supporting staff through their own challenges and barriers. Ask any of her coworkers and they would agree that Jessica is often the first person they turn to when in a pinch or need assistance in navigating through a difficult situation. Jessica is a wellspring of knowledge and can quickly generate new and useful ideas. She is well respected amongst our staff and is a compassionate and tactful leader. We appreciate her humor and ability to create an atmosphere of growth.

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HAPPENINGS C E N T R E C O U N T Y, PA Please note: Some of the events listed below are not free; we recommend reaching out to the locations to see if there is a cost to attend.

COMMUNITY FUND SUCCESS STORY - JOYCE WILBUR

A few months ago we received a Community Fund application for one of our participants, Joyce Wilbur. Due to Joyce’s lymphedema and knee surgeries, she was having problems with swelling in her legs and was in need of a certain type of compression stockings. Unfortunately, her insurance was unable to pay for them and after reaching out to other community resources, she was still left without the stockings that she needed. That’s when her AUCP AmeriHealth service coordinator submitted an application on her behalf. Upon reviewing Joyce’s unique situation and seeing that these compression socks were something that she needed for her health and safety, AUCP was able to provide a grant through their Community Fund to pay for the compression stockings. After receiving the stockings, Joyce was very pleased and so grateful. Compression stockings, although a seemingly small need, make a huge difference in her everyday life. She says that they have helped with the swelling of her legs and she is able to walk more with them on. This is great news for Joyce and now she is able to focus more on her everyday needs and health with her coordinator. If you would like to learn more about AUCP’s Community Fund or would like to review the application process, go to www.scalucp.org.

november health awareness

November is #NationalDiabetesMonth. How much do you know about the link between diabetes and Heart Disease? Learn more from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at niddk.nih.gov.

One in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy at some point in their lifetime and an estimated 3.4 million people in the US are living with epilepsy. The month of November is National Epilepsy month, find out how you can spread awareness this month at efepa.org.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY - nOVEMBER 11, 2019

Be on the lookout next month for events in York County.

community programs Our Re-Use It program redistributes The UCP Elsie S. Bellows Fund is a and accepts donations of medical national program that provides funds to equipment and assistive technology. individuals with disabilities for the purchase of assistive technology equipment.

AUCP’s Scholarship Fund granted to two high school seniors who are pursuing a degree in the human services field each Spring.

For more information on the above programs, please contact our offices today at (844) 819-4455.

TOLL FREE: 844.819.4 455 local: 814.619.3398 FAX: 814.262.7174

Office Locations: Johnstown, Hanover, Altoona, Pittsburgh, & St. Mary’s

@AllegheniesUCP @AllegheniesUnitedCerebralPalsy @AllegheniesUCP