UCPeople Year in Review: January 2008

After a successful 2007 event, more than 850 supporters of United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee (UCPMT) were early to rise, after ringing in the New Year, to compete in the fifth annual Resolution Run in Nashville, TN. Comprising the largest total number of runners on record, Board member Cynthia Leatherwood and her family along with 16 corporate teams vied for first place.

• » See WSMV Channel 4 coverage the event

The Spastic Centre's 4,000 square metre Head Office in Allambie Heights, Australia, caught fire on December 23, 2007, completely gutting the building. The estimated damage runs in the millions of dollars for the UCP international affiliate. "The fire devastated our nerve centre. It's been a terrible blow for The Spastic Centre family," said CEO Rob White. "We're very grateful though that no one was killed or injured, and that our 35 residents living on site are safe."

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In January, the ABC News magazine, 20/20, featured three different stories focusing on the experience of people living with disabilities. One story was especially provocative. Kevin Connolly is a photographer who traveled the world and photographed people staring at him because of his disability. His Web site, "The Rolling Exhibition," features photos of his journey and the people who stared. See the 20/20 story about Connolly to learn more.

What do people in wheelchairs see? This was the topic of NPR's "Talk of the Nation" program on January 10^th, as they discussed a new documentary entitled Rolling. Physician and filmmaker Gretchen Berland gave video cameras to three Los Angeles residents in wheelchairs and asked them to document their everyday lives by mounting cameras on their wheelchairs. The result is a view from the participants' angle everywhere they go—at home, at work, and experiencing everyday situations. This documentary sheds light on life from a unique perspective - through the eyes of an individual living with an alternative form of mobility.

• » Listen to the NPR story or Watch a short video from NPR.

Joey Odum, an 18-year-old graduate from Marion High School in Marion, IL,

Joey Odum walks at his
high school graduation

was able to walk across the stage to the sound of thunderous applause and a standing ovation to receive his diploma, fulfilling a life long dream. His mother remarked, "Joey has always been in a chair but thanks to Dr. Froehling (a local orthopedist), he can now walk 73 yards with assistance! A million thanks to Dr. Froehling!"

The United Cerebral Palsy Ride Without Limits received high praise in the March edition of Bicycling Magazine. Steve Madden, Editor-in Chief and 2007 Tampa Bay Ride Without Limits participant, remarked:

"The Ride Without Limits website said it was a new event, held in only three cities in 2007... I contacted UCP and asked if we could still sign up and Barbara Ann [Brenner], the ride coordinator, said we'd be more than welcome, but not to expect big crowds because, as a first year event, they were still working out some kinks. You could have fooled me. The Ride Without Limits in Tampa was the best-run, most rider-friendly charity event I've ever participated in."