My Nonprofit Reviews

It is truly a blessing to have a healthy baby these days. And as a mother, you know when something just isn’t right with one of your children. Jacob was born on December 31, 1994. He had an older brother, so I had a benchmark of what to expect. Jacob wasn’t a typical happy baby. He didn’t smile a lot, had issues with food textures, didn’t sleep well, etc. As a toddler, it got worse. He didn’t develop speech, became somewhat aggressive, was very particular about his food, had many perseverative behaviors, etc. Jacob was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (on the autism spectrum) when he was about 2. Luckily, we caught it early and he was immediately enrolled in developmental, speech and occupational therapies. Then, our prayers were answered. I remember the first time I visited UCP of Central PA in Camp Hill, PA. The physical facilities were a child’s AND parent’s dream…so colorful, so inviting, and so conducive to everything they do there. I especially liked the 2-way windows where parents could observe without being seen. But those facilities were nothing compared to the Understanding Caring Professionals I met. I immediately knew this was where Jacob needed to be. He began in an inclusion preschool class, and boy, was he miserable! I remember observing him during most of my lunch hours. Specifically, I remember a time when Jacob would not stop crying. The teacher/developmental therapist had taken away one of his dinosaur toys. I couldn’t stand it! I went to the door and told her why he was crying. She knew why. She had taken 1 of his 2 dinosaurs because Jacob was a part of the class. He was not forced to participate in the art project at the time, but he had to have a hand available if he chose to participate. Tough love at its finest! What was next to impossible for me to do at home to keep peace in the house or even more difficult, outside of the house, was what this teacher did so easily. Being in the inclusion classroom gave him peer models, and he probably learned as much from them as from his therapists. And it worked. Jacob received occupational and speech therapy at UCP as well. His occupational therapist worked with him on his fine motor and sensory integration skills. He couldn’t tolerate being in a sandbox or touching gooey things. Now he buries himself in the sand at the beach! His speech therapist helped him progress from sounds, grunts and pointing to words, then sentences, then writing paragraphs. Admittedly, there are some days I wish he’d just stop talking! How did they do it? Hard work? Absolutely. Teamwork. No question. There are a lot of certified therapists out there, most of whom are probably wonderful. But at UCP of Central PA, I met professionals who loved and cared about Jacob so much that they were determined to see him succeed. By the time he graduated from the preschool program, he was one of the typical kids in the inclusion preschool. He had friends, laughed and was happy, all I ever really wanted. He transitioned to a private school and is now a sophomore in high school earning A’s and B’s, playing basketball and in Driver’s Ed! UCP of Central PA gave us so much HOPE. They were all a support system to Jacob and our family. We are FOREVER indebted to them, and continue to contribute financially and with anything we can do to promote them. Jacob, himself, has given back by volunteering at UCP’s Family Fun Fair. UCP of Central PA has helped make Jacob who he is today. How can I not be forever indebted?

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