Merging Classy Organizations Together

On Monday, June 21st, UCP/CLASS held its 59th Annual Meeting which celebrated the mergers of Multiple Sclerosis Service Society (MSSS) and Alliance for Community Respite Care (ACRC) into UCP/CLASS. These mergers represent a collaborative effort on the part of all three organizations to continue to serve people with disabilities in the most effective manner by continuing to provide quality services.  Our guest speaker, Diana Bucco, President of the Forbes Fund, outlined the benefits of non-profit mergers and how these mergers strengthen UCP/CLASS, MSSS, and ACRC.

As part of the merger, eight new board members joined the UCP/CLASS Family of Corporations Board. Those new members are Sally J. Balogh, William A. Goyette, Linda R. Lewis, Alan F. Mandel, Philip F. Muck, Alby Oxenreiter, Mark Rotella, and Donna Salovay. We look forward to the contributions these new members will bring to the current board.

Board members and guests alike were likely motivated by the presentation of the Eugene Cohen & Frank Bolden Meritorious Service Award that was bestowed upon Thomas Kearney. Mr. Kearney has been involved with the Board of Directors since 1975. His service to the board has given him a platform to advocate for people with disabilities and to share his story of living with cerebral palsy during a time of powerful discrimination. Mr. Kearney shared his life experiences with the guests, even including humorous stories about a few of his adventures with UCP/CLASS CEO Al Condeluci.

The award to Mr. Kearney was presented by Douglass Dick, son of E. Paul Dick, who passed away this spring. E. Paul Dick was the previous recipient of the Eugene Cohen & Frank Bolden Meritorious Service Award that celebrated his years of service as President of UCP/CLASS Board of Directors during the Capital Campaign to renovate the Community Service Centre in 2000. To honor this distinguished board member's contributions, a moment of silence was held.

Current Board President, Maggie Guzzo, presented her State of the Agency address that highlighted the many accomplishments of the past year. She also shared the news of the purchase of a new building to be renovated as a second headquarters for UCP/CLASS.

The events of the evening would not have been possible without the assistance of several UCP/CLASS employees including: Jeff Parker, Sheila Allan, Lindsay Shook, Courtney Walker, Ron Ruppen, Melva Gooden-Ledbetter, Shannon Snook, Jack Snook, Diane Cagey, Kristy Pavlik, Jon Hobaugh, Mark Mosley, and Bob Fischer.