June 23, 2017

by: Emily Hastings

67th Annual Meeting Recap

 

UCP of Greater Cleveland held its 67th Annual Meeting Tuesday, June 13, at Holiday Inn Cleveland South. Clients, donors, board members, partners and community members joined the agency in celebrating the many accomplishments made by UCP of Greater Cleveland clients, partners and employees during 2016.

In addition to updating the community on the state of the agency, highlights of the evening included the presentation of the Boots Fisher Memorial Awards, which are given to clients demonstrating great strides towards independence. Also presented was the Employer of the Year Award, given to a local Northeast Ohio employer who has shown distinctive commitment to the employment of individuals with disabilities. Lastly, employees were recognized for their dedicated service to the agency with five, ten, fifteen and twenty-five year Employee Service Awards.

This year, the Boots Fisher Memorial Awards were presented to Adaja and Emily in LeafBridge, Jennifer in OakLeaf Partners and Jim in OakLeaf Day Services. All four clients have shown tremendous growth over their years at UCP. To read more about each of their stories, click here.

UCP of Greater Cleveland presented the Employer of the Year award to SP Plus Corporation, also known as Standard Parking. Standard Parking has been a dedicated employment partner of OakLeaf Partners at UCP of Greater Cleveland for three years. UCP was first referred to Standard Parking as a potential employer by Laura Kleinman at University Circle Inc., who described them as a business always looking for ways to become a part of the community and give back. From the first meeting, Standard Parking was very receptive to customizing employment options for individuals, such as job sharing. During our partnership, they have employed six OakLeaf Partners clients, working in various Standard Parking lots throughout the city. They also host OakLeaf Partners’ clients’ job assessments, which is a critically important step on the path to employment. The entire Standard Parking team is responsive and approachable and is truly committed to supporting a diverse workforce.

It is always a pleasure to look back on the accomplishments of the previous year and recognize those who have helped the agency along the way. UCP is proud of and grateful for all its clients, employees, partners and employers in the Greater Cleveland community. 

---