Newsletter
Fall 2008 Newsletter
Fall 2008 Newsletter
Table of Contents
Son Inspires Father to Help Others
Gifts that Keep on Giving
UCPeople, Places & Programs
Record-breaking Year for UCP at Taste of Madison
Thank
You Community Contributors
UCP
of Greater Dane County: Proud CHCWI Member
Calling
All Volunteers!
Celebrity Banquet & Auction - February 21, 2009
Son
Inspires Father to
Help Others
It should not be a luxury to get in and out of your own home. That is
how Joe Herr, Senior Project Manager with Tri-North Builders, begins
discussion of Logan’s Heart and Smiles—The Logan
James Herr Foundation. Joe’s son, Logan, was an incredible
boy who captured the hearts of everyone he knew. Born on August 24,
1997, with cerebral palsy, he was an exceptional child with an
infectious smile.
Logan died at the age of four
due to complications from pneumonia. It was then that Joe decided to
create the foundation in his name. When Logan was born, Joe says, it
was very clear to him that there was a purpose to his life.
“I wouldn’t have the life I do, without having had
Logan,” he explains. Families raising children with special
needs do not get breaks, he goes on, “I couldn’t
possibly walk away from that knowledge now that Logan is gone.
I’ve gained too much perspective on life from my son to do
that now.”
It began simply enough. Joe wanted to help other families who were
going through what he went through. He started by donating
Logan’s wheelchair and other equipment to children in the
community. Seeing a greater need, Joe solicited donations for building
materials. He then donated his own time, energy, and talent to adapting
the homes of children with disabilities, making them safe and
accessible. His first project was building an access ramp to the home
of a local family in 2002.
The model is simple. Community members provide support and referrals
and Joe works on the homes. In the beginning, he located families to
work with through United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County (UCP).
Over the years, referrals have come from families Herr has worked with
as well as various community agencies.
This summer, Joe worked with the Baumgartens, a local family with two
children with autism, referred by UCP. Joe built an outdoor fence at
their Madison area home. “The
fence that Joe built for our family is truly a miracle... Both of our
sons have autism, and had started running out of the yard into the
road... Having a fence not only gives us peace of mind, it gives the
boys a safe, secure place to play. We talked of fencing
the yard, but
didn’t have the finances to do it. That meant keeping our 2
and 3 year-olds inside the house all summer for their own safety...Now
the
more they run and play, the more they talk, learn and interact with the
world around them,” say the Baumgartens.
Logan’s Heart is truly a community foundation. The work is
supported entirely by community donations and payment for materials, if
any, is based on a sliding scale determined using the honor system. The
marketing work is volunteered by Serena Bales, a graphic designer with
Tri-North Builders. In fact, Tri-North is a major supporter of the
foundation. President Tom Thayer created an on-site daycare 12 years
ago for all employees’ children. When Logan was born,
modifications were made to accommodate his needs, including the
addition of another teacher and the consultation services of staff at
UCP. Building on that initial support, Tri-North now allows the use of
their company equipment for the larger projects handled by
Logan’s Heart and Smiles.
If you ask Joe where he finds time to work for the foundation, he will
respond, “I don’t find it, I just make
it.”
Beyond his own work, Joe remains an incredible supporter of UCP, as a
volunteer for Taste of Madison, an advocate for UCP Ability Day, and as
a Celebrity Server at UCP’s Annual Celebrity Banquet and
Auction. Camilla Rucinski, UCP’s Executive Director, says of
Joe, “We couldn’t ask for a more dedicated
ambassador for the work we do here at United Cerebral Palsy. He brings
an incredible energy to everything he does.”
To learn more about Logan’s Heart and Smiles, visit their
website at www.logansheartandsmiles.org
or
call (608) 204-7215.
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Gifts
that Keep on
Giving
Your gift to United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County makes a
difference in the lives of children, teens, adults and their families
right here in southern Wisconsin. How can you help?
- Celebrate a memory or honor a loved one. Tribute gifts, memorials, and honoraria are wonderfully thoughtful gifts for the holidays. Recognize special groups, couples, or individuals with a donation to UCP.
- Provide support for special programs through directed donations.
- Leave a legacy that empowers and enriches the lives of others. Gifts made through wills, trusts, life insurance, annuities or retirement accounts provide ongoing support for those we serve.
- Our supporters have requested that we offer an option for payroll deduction or automatic withdrawals and we have responded.
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UCPeople, Places & Programs
- Teen Outreach and Child Care Inclusion Resources have combined and are now Youth Resources. By combining our staff resources, we can now provide a new level of continuity of care and stability for the children, teens, and families who receive our services.
- UCP will begin administering respite care to families caring for adults and children in Dane County. Stay tuned for more information!
- UCP has teamed up with Bridge Lake Point Waunona Neighborhood Center and the MATC Occupational Therapy Assistant Department to collaborate on an exciting new project—the creation of a bakery/coffee shop at the neighborhood center. The project will train individuals with disabilities to bake and the skills necessary to work in a coffee shop. An Election Day bake sale at the center will introduce the concept to the public.
- Did you know that you can raise money for United Cerebral Palsy just by searching on the internet? It’s easy! Simply switch your Internet browser to www.goodsearch.com and $.01 will be donated to UCP for each search.
Record-breaking Year for UCP at Taste of Madison
It has been a record-breaking year for UCP fundraising at the Taste of Madison. After many months of planning and with the help of over 700 dedicated volunteers, donating thousands of hours of service, we raised over $50,000.
As we complete our 26th year of staffing the beverage booths at the Taste of Madison, we want to recognize the time, energy, and dedication of our volunteers. It is our volunteers that enable us to serve over 1,000 children and adults in our community. Thank you. Together, we are making a difference.
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Thank You Community Contributors
Did you know that 90% of the UCP budget is dedicated to program services? We thank our community contributors for helping to make this possible!
Alliant Energy Foundation
American Family Insurance
Baer Insurance
Best Western Inn Towner
Capital Times Kids Fund
Capitol Bank
CUNA Mutual Group
Custer Financial Services
Deloitte Consulting
Dental Health Associates of Madison
Dunham Express
EconoPrint
The Evjue Foundation
Godfrey and Kahn
Group Health Cooperative
H&R Carpets
Herzing College
Higgins Hemb Insurance Group
Ho-Chunk Nations
Home Health United
In Business/Magna Publications
Inn on the Park
Madison Festivals, Inc.
Madison Magazine
Madison South Rotary Foundation, Inc.
Meriter Health Services
Middleton Community Bank
National Guardian Life Insurance
Potter Lawson
SprintPrint
Stotlar & Stotlar
Stoughton Trailers
Sullivan Roofing
The Auto Club Group (AAA)
Town and Country Electric
Tri-North Builders, Inc.
UW Health
Venture Investors
VP Management LLC
WMGN Magic 98
We are incredibly fortunate to have the wonderful support of countless In-Kind donors as well. Thank you.
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UCP of Greater Dane County: Proud CHCWI Member
We are a proud member of Community Health Charities of Wisconsin (CHCWI), a federation of health charities. Through our membership, UCP of Greater Dane County is included in both public and private workplace giving campaigns that reach over 400,000 employees throughout Wisconsin. Workplace-giving campaigns allow employees to contribute from their paychecks through payroll deductions that enable a desired gift to be contributed each pay period. These campaigns provide employees the opportunity to specifically choose UCP as the recipient of their contribution. CHCWI's role is to facilitate contribution efficiency and facilitate connections between employees and its member charities and then to distribute contributions directly to UCP.
CHCWI represents 44 Wisconsin health agencies and is looking for opportunities to open new workplace campaigns in order to increase the amount of funds made available to its members. You may be able to help CHCWI grow. If you have an employee giving program, check to see if CHCWI is represented as a choice. If not, please contact Trisha Davies at United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County (608) 237-8508.
The strong partnership between United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County and Community Health Charities of Wisconsin continues to offer hope for our clients through revenues that fund programs and provide support. Together we are working for a healthy Wisconsin.
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Calling All Volunteers!
We are looking for energetic volunteers in a variety of areas. If you are interested in volunteering from a few hours a week to a couple times a year, we have a project for you. Check out our volunteer opportunities for more information on how you can help.
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Celebrity Banquet & Auction - February 21, 2009
Mark your calendars now for United Cerebral Palsy’s Annual Celebrity Banquet & Auction.
Local celebrities serving you a delicious dinner, fabulous auction items for your bidding pleasure, plus some exciting new changes are in store for you at UCP’s 22nd Annual Celebrity Banquet & Auction!
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