UCP holds 50th annual telethon

PITTSFIELD – On Sunday afternoon, a 50-year tradition will continue at the Crowne Plaza.

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Berkshire County is holding its 50th annual telethon from 1-5 p.m. on Jan. 27.

Activities scheduled at the Crowne Plaza are a raffle, a silent auction and live entertainment, including The Berkshire Hillsmen, Berkshire Music School Bings Strings, the CYC Junior All-Star Cheerleaders, the Richmond Consolidated School Jazz Band and UCP Fun Club Children’s Chorus.

The telethon will be broadcast live on Pittsfield Community Television (ch. 16), Community Television of the Southern Berkshires (ch. 16) and Northern Berkshire Community Television Corporation (ch. 15). On WUPE 100.1 FM from 1-3 p.m., Todd Lee will also be hosting a radiothon.

The hosts for the four-hour event are Cheryl Adams of WUPE; Ron Gallagher, regional director of vocational rehabilitation and independent living/social service programs for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Western Regional Offices; former Adams Town Clerk Paul Hutchinson; Pittsfield City Councilor John Krol; Youth Leadership Host Allyson Pratt; Ashley Sulock, director of marketing and communications for the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce; and Dave Winchester, formerly of WNAW/WSBS.

Former State Representative (from the 1st Berkshire District) Daniel E. Bosley, owner of Bosley Consulting Services and president of the North Adams SteepleCats, is the telethon’s honorary chair.

According to Christine Singer, UCP executive director, the telethon raised $37,000 last year.

“Our budget goal is 35 [thousand dollars] this year, but we would love 40,” she added.

About UCP

UCP of Berkshire County represents and supports children and adults with any physical or developmental disabilities, including multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, brain injury and autism.

“We serve people of all disability groups,” Ms. Singer said.

UCP has two offices, one in Pittsfield and the other in North Adams. The organization’s services include adult family care and advocacy; assistive technology/computer training; a durable medical equipment loaner program; the Berkshire Talking Chronicle radio reading service; and social and recreational children’s programming.

“We help people connect the dots to get the things they need,” Ms. Singer said.

The assistive technology program promotes independent living by providing technology to people in their homes. According to Dawn Matthews, UCP director of assistive technology services, they first visit “consumers” to determine what they need and then lend out equipment for people to try out.

If the device, such as a laptop, meets a consumer’s needs, UCP then orders the device, even helping to find funding sources for lower-income individuals.

“These can be costly communications devices, from $2 to $16,000,” Ms. Matthews said.

After the device comes in and during the trial period, UCP also helps with training.

“We don’t just drop off the equipment, we provide training,” Ms. Matthews said.

Robert Arendt, who has been a consumer through the assistive technology department for about three years, is extremely grateful for his laptop and the computer training he received, which have allowed him to stay “connected to the outside world.”

Mr. Arendt uses his laptop to reach out to people via email, check out recipes (as a former chef) and become more politically active.

“I’ve been very politically active since I’ve had the laptop,” he said. “[Last fall] I pushed people to get out to vote.”

Additionally, Mr. Arendt plays Mahjong on his laptop to help “sharpen” his mind.

“I’m on there playing Mahjong for three hours at a time,” he said.

“Our whole goal is to have people as independent as possible and doing things they enjoy,” Ms. Singer added.

The durable medical equipment program loans out donated items, such as commodes, shower seats, walkers and wheelchairs, to uninsured and under-insured individuals going through rehabilitation after a surgery or other medical procedure.

“We’re the only ones in Berkshire County that provide that service,” Ms. Singer said. “We let them keep the equipment as long as they need it.

“They see this as a goldmine.”

Those interested in donating during Sunday’s telethon should call (413) 442-1562 or 664-9345; donations can also be made online at ucpberkshire.org.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on January 24, 2013. Filed under Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry