We are excited to announce that Lawyers Title of Oregon, LLC has pledged its support to our UCP affiliate through its Giving Hope Campaign.  The money received through this program will go towards Platinum Sponsorship of UCP’s Walk, Roll ‘n’ Run. The funds raised at the WRR are the primary source of funding for UCP’s Family Support Department.

Here’s how the program works: every time a Lawyers Title transaction closes during the second quarter of 2013 (April-June), a portion of the transaction fees will be donated to UCP. Also, Lawyers Title employees have opportunities to volunteer and take part in the event.

So, if you or anyone you know is in the process of buying or selling a house, we’d love it if you select consider Lawyers Title. Thanks for your help!

About Lawyers Title:

Lawyers Title of Oregon, LLC is a fixture in the Portland real estate market.  Lawyer Title has six branches in the Portland metropolitan area and is a member of the Fidelity National Title Group, America's largest family of title insurance and related companies.  The company was originally founded in 1925 in Richmond, Virginia and has expanded its national footprint in the title insurance market.  Its direct operation in Portland began in 1983.  Learn more about Lawyers Title here.

A fantastic day was had by all at this year's Walk, Roll 'n' Run, which was held September 8th. Thanks to everyone who participated and volunteered! We'll be posting more information soon.

Do you want to join UCP for our largest special event of the year--the 8th annual Walk, Roll 'n' Run which will be held this Saturday, September 8th? If so,

you should know that today is your last chance to register online, as online registration closes tonight (September 6th) at midnight.

You are welcome to register at the event itself, but day-of-event registration will cost $30 instead of $25.

In other WRR news, we are pleased to report that we have raised $62,000 so far--we are so close to our goal of $80,000!

If you'd like to find out more about the event, sign up to participate, or start a team, visit the event website.

We are getting excited to see you all on September 8th at this year's Walk, Roll 'n' Run--UCP's biggest special event of the year!  We've already raised almost $45,000, which means we're halfway to our goal.

If you'd like to find out more about the event, sign up to participate, or start a team, visit the event website.

And don't forget: the top fundraisers will receive wonderful donated prizes. Here are the prizes for people who raise funds as indivudals:

• $200-$499: receive a UCP water bottle
• $500-$999: receive a $25 gift card
• $,1000-$2499: receive a $50 gift card
• $2,500 and over: receive a $100 gift card

Important Information:

• Event Date: September 8, 2012
• Event Site: 1515 SE Water Ave. (RiverEast Center parking lot) 
• Parking is available in the gravel overflow lot for OMSI located at Water Ave. and Main.  Enter the lot on Main.  Look for event signage!    
• Packet pick-up will be on September 7th at the Foot Traffic store downtown from 12:00pm - 6:00pm.  824 SW 2nd Ave. Portland 97204 
• 5k & 8K run start at 9:00am 
• Walk/Roll starts at 10:30am 
• A delicious lunch provided by Papa Murphy's and The Old Spaghetti Factory will be served starting at 11:00am.
• Whole Foods Market will be providing fruit and other goodies starting at 9:30am. 

SEE YOU ON SEPTEMBER 8th!

Want to eat great food and raise money for UCP at the same time? Well, then you need to attend our next UCP Dine Out fundraiser!

The event will be held at at Good Neighbor Pizzeria 800 NE Dekum Street on September the 11th from 3pm to midnight. 10% of all proceeds will go to UCP, and we'll be using the money to fund parties, potlucks and prizes.

Please encourage your families and friends to stop by!

 If you've ever wanted to start running, now is the time. One of UCP's sponsors, Foot Traffic, is running Foot Traffic University, a series of classes designed to help runners and walkers of all ability levels. When you register, if you mention UCP, Foot Traffic will donate a portion of your entry fee to UCP!

Can we provide even better supports and civil rights to the people we support? That was the main question we sought to answer at our Friends/Walk, Roll, ‘n’ Run Kick Off Breakfast. The event was held on April 28, 2011 at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Present were UCP Board members, staff, longtime and new friends, potential and current sponsors of the WRR, and families.

The theme of the event was “erasing the lines”.  Executive Director Bud Thoune shared the story of how there once were literal lines dividing people with disabilities from each other and the world at large. In the 1970’s, when UCP was running a sheltered workshop, the federal government required that a line be drawn down the floor of the workshop to separate those with severe disabilities from those with fewer disabilities. Even though these literal lines are gone, there are still plenty of lines that we should erase, so that the people we support can lead even richer and more fulfilling lives.

Our emcee was Terry Porter, former Trailblazer and now TV personality. Terry shared stories the lines he personally had to erase to get where he is today. 

Many audience members were moved to tears as two UCP families shared their own stories. Jimmy and Marcy Watts, and Carrie Swisher, described how crushing it was to receive a diagnosis of cerebral palsy for their newborn child, and what a relief it was to discover all that UCP’s Family Support Department had to offer.

Kimberli Zonker, a manager at Whole Foods Market, shared the story of working with Phillip Klover, a person supported by UCP’s Supported Employment department.

Joy Gibson got everyone excited about this year’s Walk, Roll ‘n’ Run, which will be held September 10th.  And UCP’s Michael Barron shared a brand new video about the Walk.  See the video here—but be warned, you might be moved to tears, too!

The event was a huge success, raising $6,000. Six attendees expressed interest in creating a team for this year’s Walk; others expressed interest in sponsoring the Walk, and several attendees decided that they might be interested in volunteering or joining a Board committee.

“Events like this take a lot of time to prepare for”, said Bud Thoune, Executive Director, “but they help us educate our community about our mission and the needs of people with disabilities.”

Thanks especially to UCP's Kerry Pinney, Susan Cushman, Corrie Hausman, Jennifer Gwin, and Mike Barron for their intense preparations to put this event together.

Now the work really begins, as we follow up on the interest shown by this group of new and old friends, and get ready for the Walk, Roll ‘n’ Run. We hope to see you there!