All proceeds from this annual fundraiser benefit MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy) and it’s clients, helping the 1.4 million Michigan citizens with disabilities live to their greatest potential.
For the 10th consecutive year, golfers will participate in the MI-UCP “Driving to Close the Disability Divide Charity Golf Outing” on June 18th at The Majestic at Walden Lake in Hartland, MI. MI-UCP is pleased to announce that all slots have been filled. To date, the event has raised over $150,000, with all proceeds going directly to MI-UCP.
The popular event began with a group of close friends who have played hockey together for years. When a member of that hockey family had a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy, they decided to take action, and an idea was born.
In order to raise awareness and to educate people about cerebral palsy, two of those long-time hockey friends, Jason Trzcinski and Matt Brown, approached MI-UCP about co-hosting a charity golf outing. Since then, there have been nine successful events including September, 2020 when 188 golfers (masked and socially distanced) played 27 holes at The Majestic at Walden Lake, raising nearly $24,000.
The event is dedicated to the MI-UCP vision: To enable all Michiganders with disabilities to live to the best of their abilities and ambitions.
As a group, these 1.4 million Michiganders who live with a disability have been marginalized and ignored for too long. Often being denied access to education, housing or employment, leaving many struggling with financial stability and independence. All of this has created a disability divide. It’s time for a change.
From assistive technology to portable and permanent wheelchair ramps, providing financial and employment services, parent training, advocacy and being a trusted resource, everything MI-UCP does, every day, is done to close that divide.
Examples of services include: a Representative Payee program to assist with financial matters; Benefits Counseling that help individuals navigate complicated systems like Social Security and Medicaid; Assistive Technology can be provided via grants to address needs in the areas of mobility, communication, learning, transportation, independent living and more. MI-UCP also provides Quick Ramps for Kids who are in need of an inexpensive, portable option for wheelchair accessibility.
More about MI-UCP
MI-UCP was founded in 1949 as United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metropolitan Detroit (UCP/Detroit). This included Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. That same year, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Michigan (UCP/Michigan) was formed to serve the needs of constituents throughout the remainder of the State of Michigan.
In 2020, these two organizations merged into MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy). The goal is to expand our scope of service reach. In reality, more than 65 percent of the people we serve have a disability other than cerebral palsy. These include autism, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments and many other disabling conditions.
By unifying as MI-UCP, we are able to operate more efficiently and effectively as one of the state’s leading sources of information, referral and strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations. And by having offices in Detroit and Lansing, we can continue to be a leading advocate for all 1.4 million Michiganders with disabilities.
For more information or to contact MI-UCP, please visit the web site at mi-ucp.org