Guest Blog: A Note from Board Chair Paul Miller on UCPLA’s 75th Anniversary

A Note from Paul Miller, UCPLA’s Board Chair, on Our 75th Anniversary

This year, UCPLA celebrates 75 years of building the UCPLA family.  As Chair of UCPLA’s Board of Directors, I am grateful for everything this anniversary signifies – for me, for my family, and for the people UCPLA serves. 

In my case, these three categories overlap: my big sister Karen has been a resident at UCPLA since she was a teenager.  When Karen and my parents made the decision that she would move into one of UCPLA’s group homes, my brother and I were worried –  who was going to feed Karen, take her swimming, make her laugh when she was sad?  Who was going to care for her the way we did? 

But my parents saw the important truth that Karen needed and deserved an environment where she could grow, as her own person, and build independence.  It took many years for me to realize how difficult that decision must have been for my parents, and how difficult it remains for many families today: how do you feel at ease with turning your loved one over to what seems like complete strangers?

It didn’t take long, however, before the “strangers” at UCPLA became acquaintances, and those acquaintances became friends, and those friends became family.  It’s hard to imagine Karen’s life without her UCPLA family.

UCPLA, with its commitment to independence and staff of impeccable professionals, has changed the trajectory of my sister’s life, providing her a quality and diversity of experiences, and, most days, putting a smile on her face.  UCPLA changed the course of my family’s life as well, by offering Karen independence and growth that we didn’t know was possible.  And of course it has changed my life, by giving me the opportunity to serve this organization and, in turn, the people who rely on its programs and services.

For this and so many other reasons, it is my great honor to serve as UCPLA’s Board Chair and to offer you my family’s story as just a small glimpse of the larger picture: that we have been united in a mission to offer independence, productivity, and engaged citizenship to individuals, like my sister, who are vital and deserving members of our community – for 75 years.

Paul Miller

Chairman, Board of Directors