UCP of Sacramento and Northern California

Happy New Year to you and your family! As the year ends we want to take a moment to share a highlight for us from this Holiday season, and express our gratitude for your generosity to the people we serve. We wouldn't be here without you. To see how you can support UCP, visit https://ucpsacto.org/ways-to-give/

Hey Sacramento parents! Looking for more resources and education for your disabled children? Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) and Matrix Parent Network & Resource Center are conducting parent training sessions for 28 counties in California's Region 5. 2021 Trainings (All trainings are on Zoom):... 03/08/21: IEP Basics & Beyond During COVID-19 Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_2KoHlJq7TlGxSmIi39WSog 04/12/21: Transition to Adulthood Training for Parents During COVID-19 Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_ePBpmCCxTYuHykdOr-98rA 05/10/21: IEP Basics & Beyond During COVID-19 Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_ey0CDCzhRPqJngIRQWvokg 06/14/21: Dispute Resolution During COVID-19 Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_cvut5ERiTBicz6TdoRMGuA Hope to see you all there!

Looking to start a new career? Check out this awesome opportunity! SMUD is partnering with GRID Alternatives to offer a free certificate training program to help you get started in the solar energy industry

Hey Sacramento students and parents, check out this opportunity from our friends at SMUD! Their "Powering Futures" Scholarships award up to $5,000 per individual to help cover the cost of college. Go to smud.org/scholarships to learn more and apply!

Interested in participating in a research study on people with cerebral palsy? Who is eligible? Parents who have a child between the ages of 5 to 15 who has cerebral palsy... Speaks fluent English Must be married and living in the same household What will you need to do? Study participants will complete a consent form once they are interested in participating and then will complete an interview either in person at the center, online, phone interview, or computer conference call lasting approximately 30-60 minutes. Study participants are unpaid volunteers. Why is this research so important? Participants will be contributing to help increase awareness of the disability, increase awareness within the community, increase empathy and understanding of parental needs, and potentially improve access to resources that are needed by parents to enhance their quality of life. Email or call Ellena Arden if interested in participating. For more information: [email protected] or 209-992-6822 Supervising Chair to the research study: Dr. Edoardo Naggiar, [email protected]

We think Jonah and Alara like the gifts you guys sent through the UCP Holiday Gift Drive! What do you think?

Santa's Elves dropped off some gifts donated through the holiday gift drive today! Alara and Jonah are loving the toys that all you awesome people sent through UCP's Amazon Wish List!

Sharing... When you have a "regular" child, you feel reasonably assured that class participation and decent study habits will result in good grades. These kids ...have close friends. They get invited to participate in social things like dances and weekend gatherings. They make the teams, auditioned organizations and clubs. But when you have a child with certain differences, this is often not the case. Learning may take longer, both academically and socially. Despite their tremendous efforts, results are often a fraction of their peers and social acceptance is fleeting, setting them up for painful comparisons and bitter frustration. Instead of a fun and fulfilling experience, school can become a breeding ground for depression and anxiety, and assignments a battle ground at home. It is exhausting for parent and child alike. This is the week of SPED (Special Education), Autism, Dyslexia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Down Syndrome awareness. For all the children who struggle every day to succeed in a world that does not recognize their gifts and talents, and for those who are walking beside them, please let this be a gentle reminder to be kind and accepting of ALL people. Recognize that the "playing field" is not always a level surface. Children who learn differently are not weird. They are merely gifted in ways that our society does not value enough. Yet they want what everyone else wants: To be accepted!! If you choose, please copy and paste this in honor of all children who are deemed "different". Our world would be far less beautiful without them. # Be Kind

You can Give Mom A Break during this season of giving by donating a Respite session to UCP! Respite care provides parents caring for a child with a developmental disability the chance to renew their energy. Helping parents be the best advocates they can, helps keep the whole family happy and healthy. Donate here: http://ow.ly/FYnt50CSeQg

Justin was thrilled to receive gifts from Santa Claus! Who wouldn't be thrilled if Santa Claus and one of his Elves delivered a present to you? Justin is one of the adults that UCP serves. The UCP Transportation team wanted to give something special to our extended family. Santa's sleigh was already booked so Santa and his Elf used a UCP Bus to deliver presents. You can see the impact of your donations to the UCP Gift Drive in Justin's smile! You can be a part of bringing the magic of the holidays to other families. Click the link below to order a gift from the Amazon Wish List. Last day to shop is Dec 19th (tomorrow)! https://smile.amazon.com//2GH5N7SSIF1/ref=smi_cl_ls_lol_ls

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated to the UCP Holiday Gift Drive! The gifts below were delivered to Yelena today because of you! And a big shoutout to our partners at The Niello Company for helping to make this happen as well! If you haven't had a chance to join the fun as one of our Santa's Helpers yet, you can order a gift from our Amazon Wish List and it will be delivered directly to UCP's offices for distribution! Log into your Amazon account and view our Amazon Wish List at this Link: https://smile.amazon.com//2GH5N7SSIF1/ref=smi_cl_ls_lol_ls

We love this story from Angie and Ruby. What are the seemingly small moments that you've experienced that bring joy for your child's growth?

Check out this online series from The Disability Network "looking at both the world at large and our understanding of disability thru a very distinctive lens [insert drum roll here] the lens of film!" A great way to stay connected virtually this holiday season!

Celebrate our community's Humanitarians with us on the Wall of Fame! With the generous support of our sponsors at Witan Law, we are honoring our previous Humanitarian of the Years who have made an impact in our region. You can vote for your favorite Humanitarian, and bid in the online silent auction at the link below! ucphumanitarianwalloffame.org

Sacramento County is updating its Active Transportation Plan! Whether you walk, bike, or roll, give your thoughts on how to make streets and paths more accessible, safer, and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities! Click the link below for more information. https://files.constantcontact.com//1962760c-e72e-4222-86a5

Hey parents, do any of these work well for you? Do you have other techniques that you can share?

Don't leaf your old vehicle on the driveway... donate it! You can make a big impact on the lives of people with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or intellectual disability by choosing to donate your car to UCP. It's easy, free, and your gift is tax deductible. Go to https://ucpsacto.careasy.org/home to learn more today.

Fall into the Season of Giving with us and donate your old car! Three great reasons to donate your vehicle: - The proceeds generated from a car donation may be much larger than you would be able to give as an individual gift... - The process is easy and free - Your gift is tax deductible Click here to learn more: https://ucpsacto.careasy.org/home

Need a ride to the polls? SacRT is offering free rides system-wide on all bus, light rail, SmaRT Ride and SacRT GO services in celebration of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. No flyer or exemption code necessary to ride free. If you want to vote early, SacRT is also offering free rides on SmaRT Ride microtransit shuttles in all nine service zones with a free ride flyer through November 2nd. Click the link to see the flyer and details on how to request a ride! https://www.sacrt.com//SmaRT-Ride-Free_Ride_Flyer_FINAL.pdf

You can make a difference when you do your holiday shopping through Amazon Smile! Choose to support 'United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Sacramento' when you shop at smile.amazon.com and a portion of the sale price will be donated to UCP!

What makes a Dos Coyotes burrito even better? Knowing it's making your community a better place to live! Tomorrow night you can help support the revitalization of Universal Universe's Accessible Playground at Southside Park when you dine at Dos Coyotes and show this flyer!

Grab some Dos Coyotes and help raise funds to restore Universal Universe's All Access Playground at Southside Park! By supporting this Dine & Donate event, you can help ensure that all children are able to play safely in our community.

Don't just leaf it...donate it! You can save money on costly repairs to your old vehicle by donating it to UCP! Click here to learn more:... https://ucpsacto.careasy.org/home #CARS4Good #CarDonations

Today is the last day to take advantage of Amazon Prime Day deals! Name UCP as your charitable organization on Amazon Smile and Amazon donates to UCP. Click here:... https://smile.amazon.com///homepage/ref=smi_chpf_redirect #AmazonSmile #AmazonPrimeDay #PrimeDay #ucpsacto

Man with Autism finds job as Chocolatier at The Chocolate Spectrum:

Amazon Prime Day is here! If you name UCP as your charitable organization on Amazon Smile, 0.5% of your purchase goes directly to UCP. Make someone with developmental disabilities smile today! Click here:... https://smile.amazon.com///homepage/ref=smi_chpf_redirect #AmazonSmile #AmazonPrimeDay #PrimeDay