Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Makes a Lasting Impression in Mobile
A wonderful event took place in Mobile, Alabama that affected not only a family and a community, but United Cerebral Palsy as well. Many follow the popular ABC hit show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In fact, since its debut in November 2003, the show has quickly become a public favorite due in part to its outgoing host, designers, corporate partners, and contributions to the public, rebuilding homes for those that cannot afford to take on the financial burden of such a task. Over 100 families (with countless more on the horizon) have directly benefited by Extreme Makeover's generosity. One lucky Mobile, Alabama family recently featured on the show was the Gaudets.
Stephen and Lydia Gaudet are proud parents of six outstanding boys, Joseph (age 22), Christopher (age 20), Thomas (age 17), Patrick (age 15), Michael (age 13), and Peter (age 9) and have a long history of volunteerism. Their dedication to outreach within the community can be seen throughout their family. Lydia is a parenting class instructor with Easter Seals, the boys volunteer their time to help with Hurricane Katrina clean-up and Christopher is a five-year veteran counselor at Camp Smile (UCP of Mobile's Summer camp for kids and adults with disabilities). In addition to their time spent away from home, all are devoted to the well-being of Peter, who has Downs Syndrome.
Peter was introduced to United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile before the age of one month when the affiliate's early intervention team was called in to conduct an assessment of Peter's abilities and to offer up services and solutions to Stephen and Lydia. After a period of time utilizing in-home equipment and enhancement programs, Peter was enrolled in the Mobile affiliate's preschool program. This provided a wonderful starting point for his development and introduction to continuing education.
At the age of four, after a successful run at preschool, the Gaudets enrolled Peter in Camp Smile. He would attend for a week and enjoy swimming, horseback riding, yoga, arts and crafts, and outdoor games (like kickball and tee ball). The camp's one-to-one counselor-to-camper ratio enabled Peter to take on activities with a more hands-on approach and strengthened his confidence to take on new challenges.
Camp Director and UCP Childcare Enhancement Specialist. Cecy Lowell reflects on Peter's success, "It is always great to have Peter at camp. He seems to enjoy horseback riding the most. Having Lee [Meyer, the riding instructor] there, along with his counselor, seems to embolden him. You can see the transformation take place, and before you know it, he wants to try new things and even loosens up enough to have a go at yoga."
Camp Smile has certainly been a great outlet for the Gaudets. Five years ago, Chris began attending with Peter and started out as a chief trouble shooter for the electronics and computers on-site. Once he settled in, Lowell reassigned him to work with campers as an official counselor... a position he has held ever since.
It is with Chris' love of Camp Smile and its positive effect on everyone involved that he made the ultimate contribution. During numerous interviews with producers at "Extreme Makeover" he kept talking about camp, his work there, and Peter's attendance. They took notice and cut special segments for the broadcast that highlighted camp and some of Peter's favorite activities. On top of that, CVS Pharmacies (a major sponsor of the build) donated $50,000 to the Gaudets for Peter's needs and additionally, donated $100,000 to UCP of Mobile that will be directly used for services, equipment, and programs at Camp Smile.
"CVS and ' Extreme Makeover' are first class," said Glenn Harger, President and CEO of UCP of Mobile. "The contribution that CVS Pharmacies has made is truly amazing. This is a shining example that they really care about the well-being of the communities that they serve."
In the end, good things come to those that do good for others. Stephen, Lydia and the boys have a new, bigger and better home, and UCP of Mobile's Camp SMILE has an unexpected (and welcome) financial boost... all because of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," CVS Pharmacies, and the Gaudet family's dedication.
April is Autism Awareness Month and fast approaching. Nearly 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with autism. It is the fastest growing developmental disability in the US but also one of the most under-assisted. One out of every 150 children born in 2004 was diagnosed as autistic, elevating the chance of an autism diagnosis higher than that of diabetes and cancer combined. The U.S. Government sets aside a mere 5% of its health funding for early intervention and therapy.
Many of our affiliates work with those who are diagnosed with autism and many are increasingly concerned.
A multifaceted disorder, autism has long baffled parents and professionals. Children with autism do have the possibility to improve greatly, and some even overcome the effects of autism, if appropriate therapies begin early enough. Unfortunately, the financial responsibilities of treating kids with autism fall on direct support professionals and families, equating to about 90 billion dollars per year. As a side effect, the divorce rate among parents of children with autism is 83%, due to the sustained financial and emotional stress. Since early child intervention and diagnosis can lower the costs of treating a person with autism by two thirds, it's important that state and federal lawmakers provide more funding and support.
Two measures, currently in Congress, seek to address the issue of funding autism early intervention and therapy. H.R. 1881 and S. 937 will support those with autism and help shed light on this troubling developmental disability.
UCP strives to create Life Without Limits for people with disabilities. There is no better example of our mission than without 25-year-old Nick Vujicic. Since birth, he has had no arms and legs and was given no medical reason for his condition. Faced with countless challenges and obsticles, he hasn't let anything get in the way of living a Life Without Limits.
Vujicic has visited over 19 countries and spoken to nearly two million people. Based on a religious message of hope and overcoming barriers life sets before us, he is spreading the message of his experience and his faith that he has a purpose and that purpose is to assure his audience that there is a master plan and that their lives have a purpose and meaning as well.
Vujicic will be featured this Friday, March 28th on ABC Television at 9:00PM EST on 20/20 to discuss his experiences. In addition, there are countless other videos throughout the internet about Vujicic and he has written many books, among them, From Life Without Limbs to Life Without Limits.
2008 Believable Hope Conference Update: Embassy Event June 18th
Join us at the Canadian Embassy on June 18th!
Attending the 2008 Conference in June? Don’t miss out on a fun-filled evening reception at the Canadian Embassy on Wednesday night!
Did you know that...
Montreal has a notable jazz festival, film festival and comedy competition every year, but it is also gaining repute as one of the leading fashion design cities in the world.
There are more bars and pubs per capita in the city of Halifax than in any other city in North America.
The old quarter of Quebec City is the only fortified city in North America.
Canadians consume more macaroni and cheese than any other nation on earth.
Calgary is the only Canadian city to have hosted the Winter Olympics.
Calgary is known as Cowtown for its rich history in farming and agriculture.
Cerebral Association of Alberta is an international affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy that has embraced Life Without Limits and is taking it to Canadians throughout the province.
This is a perfect opportunity for you to learn more about our neighbors, and mingle with colleagues over cocktails. For more information about the Embassy and Canada, please visit the Canadian Embassy Washington Web site.
For more information about the conference, contact Terrie King at 800-872-5827.
Don't Delay - Register today for the 2008 Believable Hope Conference, sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy.
How the Military Has Repaid Iraq Vets With Permanent Disabilities ABC News, 3/20/08 (Video) Despite their progress, challenges remain for all these families. As they continue to face the everyday challenges of living with a brain injury, some of these veterans are also locked in a struggle with the military to get the disability payments they believe they deserve.
UCP to celebrate park's grand opening Tuscaloosa News, 3/19/08 (Video) The grand opening of United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama’s Nucor United Community Park isn’t until 3 p.m. on Thursday. But since the majority of the park has been complete since December, and spring’s come early this year, UCP’s clients had the privilege of testing out the park a day earlier.
Program at Beecher school aims to raise students' respect, awareness for those with disablities Flint Journal, 3/19/08 (Video) The kids are at an age when they might look with disfavor on those who can't walk or see as they can. On Tuesday, though, they came to better understand the strength of those who navigate through life with a disability. They participated in a variety of fun — but frustrating and difficult — exercises to simulate a world different from theirs. They used walkers, donned blindfolds and even pulled on gloves to simulate having cerebral palsy.
Iraq rounding up beggars Associated Press, 2/20/08 The Iraqi Interior Ministry ordered police on Tuesday to begin rounding up beggars, homeless and mentally disabled people from the streets of Baghdad and other cities to prevent insurgents from using them as suicide bombers.
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