1. UCP Central PA and the
UCP Foundation of Central PA
2013-2014 Highlights
This is what life without limits looks like.
UCP Central PA
925 Linda Lane • Camp Hill, PA 17011
Tel: 717-737-3477 • Fax: 717-975-3333
www.ucpcentralpa.org • www.ucpfoundationcentralpa.org
Statistics are useful, but they don’t tell the full story. Left unmentioned and undocumented are the countless
ways that UCP staff have empowered those whose lives we have touched. One such example is the story of
the Ely Family.
The Story Behind the Statistics
Bobbi and Justin Ely certainly never envisioned their small
family being the face of the United Way in its 2014 fundraising
campaign. But then again, they had no reason to believe
that their child would be born anything other than typical or
that he would experience delays in his development.
Then life threw them a curveball.
In March 2011, Grant Ely was born with a rare brain
malformation. Just three days after his birth, doctors told
Bobbi and Justin he might not live to celebrate his first
birthday. Fortunately, they couldn’t have been more wrong.
Today--after receiving comprehensive early intervention
therapies from UCP Central PA--Grant is a thriving 3-year-old
who attends day care with the help of a nurse. Grant is just
one of nearly 900 local children who received early intervention
services last year through programs and services supported by
the United Way of the Capital Region.
As a result of early intervention, Grant Ely is living a life his
doctors never thought possible. As a result of UCP services
and supports, the Ely family is living life without limits. That’s
what happens when a community chooses to LIVE UNITED.
Real People... Real Results
Bobbi, Justin, and Grant Ely share a sweet moment at home.
Find us (“ucpcentralpa”):
UCP Culture at Work
“Life without limits.” The phrase means different things to different people. For UCP management and staff,
it is reflected in the many ways we empower people with special needs to live their lives to the best of their
abilities. To do that, we rely on caring, compassionate people to provide our programs and services, and other
like-minded individuals and groups to support us in our efforts.
Life without limits is also reflected in our efforts to create a culture of excellence throughout the agency. To that
end, we have identified six core principles that we believe are critical to sustaining the ideal UCP culture:
• consumer first
• communication
• connected
• innovation
• inspiring leadership
• teamwork
Ourcollectiveefforts
to live out these six
core principles on
a daily basis are
reflected in the
faces of UCP staff
and consumers as
they experience life
without limits.
“UCP didn’t only support Grant,
they also supported us.
We didn’t know what to expect...
but UCP helped us not compare
him to other children, and to
celebrate his accomplishments.”
- Bobbi Ely
TM

2. New Programs and Services
A hallmark of UCP programs and services is that they continually change and grow to meet the evolving
needs of the disability community... whether at home, at school, at work or at play. Over the past year:
• UCP initiated two pilot programs through the Office of Developmental Programs, and Dauphin and
Cumberland-Perry County Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services:
• Pathways Academy--a group home setting where residents learn the skills necessary to live
independently and secure competitive employment. The goal is to have residents move on to
a more independent living arrangement (such as an apartment) within 18 months.
• Independent Living Technology--a program partnership with SimplyHome that facilitates access
to “smart home” and other technologies that enable people with disabilities to live as independently
as possible.
• In collaboration with Temple University, UCP initiated our fourth National Institutes of Health (NIH)
project. The two-year project related to increasing the physical activity in youth with disabilities has two
Principal Investigators: Dr. Mary Segal (Temple) and Col. Jeffrey Cooper (UCP Central PA).
• In partnership with The Cumberland Perry Arc (CPARC), UCP opened Village Square Neighbors, the
fourth such parent-driven “Neighbors”-model adult day program, with emphasis on enhanced community
integration.
• D.R.E.A.M. Partnership, a subsidiary of UCP, was awarded a three-year $1.35M grant from the PA
Department of Labor and Industry, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). D.R.E.A.M. has awarded
grants to Arcadia and Millersville Universities to establish postsecondary education programs for students
with intellectual disabilities. The OVR funding will facilitate the development of programs at eight additional
Pennsylvania colleges and universities.
UCP Foundation of Central PA
The UCP Foundation of Central PA (the Foundation) was established in 2006 to support the programs and
services provided by UCP Central PA. An operationally strong, fiscally sound, and efficient charity, the UCP
Foundation directs 92% of all donations to programs and services that promote a life without limits for people
with disabilities. Among the highlights from the past year:
The Grant Allocation Panel reviewed 20 proposals submitted by UCP program staff and recommended
funding to the UCP Foundation Board of Directors, which awarded $45,670 in support of these initiatives:
• Technology to facilitate independence in communication and recreation for consumers
• Building modifications and furniture to facilitate increased consumer leisure time and/or safety
• Technology designed to enhance quality of service provision
• Marketing video to promote college opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities
Special Events, 2013-14. The Foundation hosted five special event fundraisers over the course of the year:
• UCP/SchmidtKramer Golf Tournament (August 2013)
• UCP Annual Holiday Gift Wrap (December 2013)
• UCP Magic Night Gala,(black-tie dinner dance, March 2014)
• Walk for a Healthy Community (presented by Highmark, May 2014)
• UCP/Harrisburg Senators Sports Memorabilia Auction (June 2014)
The five events generated $120,584 in net proceeds for the benefit of UCP programs and services. The
community’s support of, and participation in, our events facilitates the agency’s ability to address the unmet
and evolving needs of individuals with disabilities and their families in the midstate, as well as provide
financial support for other unfunded or underfunded programs and services throughout the community.
UCP Central PA: Sixty Years and Counting
• Autism
• Premature birth
• Alzheimer’s/dementia
• Arthritis
417
120
436
323
1,132
369
626
43
167
85
Early Intervention Services
(Therapies, including physical, speech, occupational, nutritional, and
special instruction for children from birth through age three)
Inclusive Childcare/Preschool Program
(On-site program for children ages six weeks through five years;
includes partnership with Capital Area Intermediate Unit)
Family Services
(Supports designed to strengthen families of children with disabilities,
ages birth to 21; includes information and referral, advocacy, family
networking activities, and workshops)
Adult Day Programs
(Daily activities to promote continued growth and development for
individuals with disabilities, ages 18 and older; offered in 16 locations)
Home and Community-Based Services
(Programs and services that empower individuals with disabilities to
remain in their own homes and actively participate in the community)
Home Care Services
(Non-medical, in-home support for adults 18 and older with physical disabilities
and adults over age 60 needing assistance in the home)
Assistive Technology (AT)
(Variety of AT devices and services; includes demonstration center,
equipment reuse program, training, and outreach)
Residential Services
(12 community homes and 10 apartments)
Fitness and Nutrition Program
(Fitness and nutrition program that promotes health and wellness
for individuals with disabilities, ages 18 and older)
Respite Services
(AM/PM, evening, and overnight respite services for families and caregivers)
2013-2014 Program Highlights
Whether someone was born with a disability, acquired a disability through illness or injury, or is simply aging
into disability, UCP has a program, service or support that puts the focus on what the individual can do...
not what he can’t.
From July 2013 to June 2014, UCP provided a comprehensive array of programs and services to
enhance people’s lives throughout Central PA, among them:
Program/Service Number Served
What We Do and Who We Serve
UCP currently operates from 32 facilities in 16 Central Pennsylvania counties. From July 2013 to June 2014, we
provided both community and center-based programs and services to nearly 3,800 individuals with disabilities
and their family members. As a result, these people are leading their lives in ways that were unimaginable just
60 years ago.
Despite what our name may seem to imply, cerebral palsy is just one of more than 80 conditions and diagnoses
for which UCP provides care and services. A listing of the most prevalent diagnoses or conditions of the
consumers who benefited from our services over the past year includes:
• Intellectual disability
• Developmental delay
• Cerebral palsy
• Traumatic brain injury
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Down syndrome
The First 60 Years
In December 1953, a devoted group of parents came together to forge a better life for their children with
cerebral palsy. The group sought to make significant changes in the public perception of children with
disabilities, while also striving to improve their quality of life. In the 1960s, the scope of the group’s mission
expanded to serve children with all types of disabilities. Then, during the 1980s and 1990s, an array of
services for adults was added to the mix. In August 2000, the organization officially changed its name to
United Cerebral Palsy of Central Pennsylvania, Inc., or UCP Central PA (UCP).
Over the years, UCP has been changing lives... and changing people’s perspectives... from “impossible” to
“it’s possible.” Along the way, we have helped a lot of people achieve a level of independence they
previously may have thought was out of reach.
We’ve also helped a lot of people experience a number of “firsts.” From first steps on a pediatric treadmill to
the first dance at the school prom... and from the first time attending college classes or the first day on the
job to the first time living independently... we have empowered people of all abilities to experience milestone
moments in their lives.
The Next 60 Years
What began as a therapeutic service for children with cerebral palsy has evolved tremendously over the past
60 years. But today UCP remains true to the group’s original purpose: to forge a better life for those with
special needs.
UCP is now a $25 million service organization providing a network of services across the lifespan for a
community of people with special needs. As a result of ongoing medical, scientific and technological
advances, as positive as these are, the need for disability services--and the companion need for funding to
provide these services--is greater than ever. That is one reason we also play a key leadership role in the
crucial area of disability advocacy at the local, state and federal levels.
Today, premature babies are being successfully delivered weighing as little as a pound... but are in need of
months or years of early intervention therapies. On the flip side of the coin, medical advances have extended
the lifespan of a PA resident to 78 years of age on average. Many of these older adults are finding themselves
in need of additional supports to remain independent in the home and in the community. And for all ages in
between, there is a need for a full range of transitional services that empower individuals with disabilities to
lead full lives... both personally and professionally.