20082 - To Ucp.org - United Cerebral Palsy

T i m I s O n T h e M o v e
A resident in a UCP home in Ellicott City since
2001, Tim is always out and about. At age 41, Tim
loves to go to the movies, especially to watch his
favorites – horror movies. He also enjoys taking
excursions to Baltimore, the Eastern Shore and
beyond. When Tim speaks of his adventures, a
grin fills his face.
“When I sit around, sometimes I feel down,
but when I go out, I feel so much better. Last
summer I went into Baltimore for Artscape and an
Orioles game. In the fall, we went to the Maryland
State Fair, which was really fun,” says Tim.
Thanks to recent changes in UCP’s Central
Region’s transportation services, Tim also was
able to travel to West Virginia for Christmas.
With Tim’s house manager, Will, at the wheel of
a newly donated lift-equipped van designated
specifically for residential use, Tim had the
opportunity to visit with out-of-state relatives for
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A n n u a l R e p o r t
the holiday. “It was the best time,” exclaims Tim.
“I watched my 5-year-old nephew play.”
According to Will, whenever he can get the use
of a bus or van, he is taking the residents out.
He never wants Tim and the other residents to
feel stuck in the house. Will and Tim are already
planning their upcoming trip in the spring to a
semi-pro wrestling match.
Many of the individuals at UCP are as pleased as
Tim that UCP has brought its Central Regions’s
transportation services in house and they no
longer have to rely on an outside vendor. Driver
Tremar Thomas tells us now that UCP handles
its own transportation, things are more organized
and reliable.
“The individuals we transport are very grateful
that UCP provides this service, and whenever
I have the opportunity to take them out, I do
so,” says Tremar. Tremar never minds going
the extra mile for the individuals at UCP, as he
demonstrated when he took an individual to the
Eastern Shore to spend Christmas with his family.
Tremar even took a whole group of individuals
to New York to board their ship for a Caribbean
cruise. Tremar sees the transportation service as
a positive indicator of UCP’s growth.
Driver Tremar Thomas helps Tim off the bus.
S u t t o n T a k e s H e r F i r s t S t e p s
Sutton was born 9 ½ weeks before her due date,
weighing just two pounds. In 2006 at age three,
she came to the UCP Delrey School on a feeding
tube, unable to walk or support her weight, crying
a great deal, and having a hard time adjusting
to new people, places or things. She was just
starting to talk.
Today, Sutton is 5 ½ years old. She is a
happy child with a whole new attitude. She has
developed social skills and interacts with her
schoolmates and teachers. Sutton has even
been dubbed “the mayor” of Delrey. Her mother,
Ali, says, “With the help of Delrey’s Sensory
Integration Therapy program and Delrey’s caring
staff, Sutton now can function in everyday life
situations. She accepts new things and can
handle transitions. It is wonderful to see.”
With the help of Delrey’s therapeutic feeding
program, Sutton is no longer on a feeding tube
and eats solid food. This past October she
started to walk without a walker or any other aids.
This was truly a great moment for Sutton and her
family and attributed to Delrey’s physical therapy
program.
Academically, Sutton is ahead of many of her
classmates, and the Delrey staff customizes her
academic program to be sure she is continually
challenged. The staff will write a story, for
example, that she can read to her class. She
goes to an older math class as she has an
aptitude with numbers.
Sutton loves the new Delrey School building
that opened last year with its bright colors and
spacious rooms. She especially likes the Sensory
Integration Therapy Room. Sutton found the
transition to the new building an easy one and
can frequently be seen playing on the new
accessible playground, walking the halls, and
enjoying herself at school.
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