Upstate Caring Partners

MV Gives Day is coming up on September 20th! This is an opportunity for you to show your support for what Upstate Caring Partners does every day to provide quality programs and services that support, teach and create meaningful opportunities for individuals of all abilities, empowering people through values of excellence, integrity and respect. At Upstate Caring Partners we’ve been serving children and adults in the Mohawk Valley with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs since 1950. Thousands of people across our four-county region find support and services with us every year. Thank you for supporting us in our mission throughout the year, and especially on September 20th for #MohawkValleyGives Day. Feel free to share our story with others, too!

#AutismAwarenessDay

Upstate Caring Partners celebrates Black History Month by honoring the many achievements of African Americans. We pay homage to remarkable individuals who have made significant impact in areas of art, education, advocacy, and more. Today, we recognize Vanessa Harris, PE. Vanessa Harris, PE is an environmental engineer who saw tremendous success before retiring and diving into disability advocacy. A class on documentary film making at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, Illinois led Harris to create and release Color Cast, a short work about Chicago artist Ann Kunz. The film showed how Kunz intentionally creates art to be inclusive of people with all kinds of abilities. This experience inspired the idea in Vanessa Harris, a wheelchair-bound woman of color living with bipolar disorder and other disabilities, to create the nonprofit organization Strategy for Access (StrAF.) From collaborating with prominent activists with disabilities to featuring intersectionality and identity in her work, Vanessa and her colleagues in the disability community have championed the values of inclusion, equity, and integrity. You can learn more about Vanessa’s story here: youtu.be/XphNMCTfkP8

Upstate Caring Partners celebrates Black History Month by honoring the many achievements of African Americans. We pay homage to remarkable individuals who have made significant impact in areas of art, education, advocacy, and more. Today, we recognize Brandon Marshall. Brandon Marshall is a former NFL Pro Bowler who played football for the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks. In 2011, Marshall was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, a condition that greatly impacts a person’s ability to regulate their emotions. Though his diagnosis brought about many challenges on and off the football field, Brandon Marshall credits extensive treatment at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts with giving him the tools to adapt to life with Borderline Personality Disorder. No longer playing football, Brandon Marshall can often be seen in media interviews advocating for the importance of mental health awareness. Read an interview with Brandon Marshall discussing Borderline Personality Disorder here: https://lnkd.in/efmUUB2k

Upstate Caring Partners celebrates Black History Month by honoring the many achievements of African Americans. We pay homage to remarkable individuals who have made significant impact in areas of art, education, advocacy, and more. Today, we recognize Angela Weddle. Angela Weddle is a visual artist, poet, and autistic advocate who translates her lived experience with autism and cerebral palsy into incredibly intricate works across a variety of mediums. Although undiagnosed congenital right hemisphere brain damage affected Weddle’s motor skills from an early age, her tenacity and determination to create art are intrinsic character traits. Check out some of Angela’s amazing artwork here: angela-weddle.pixels.com

Upstate Caring Partners celebrates Black History Month by honoring the many achievements of African Americans. We pay homage to remarkable individuals who have made significant impact in areas of art, education, advocacy, and more. Today, we recognize Chris Rock. Chris Rock is a well-known comedian who’s acting and standup career launched him into celebrity status. In recent years, Rock has spoken openly about being diagnosed with non-verbal learning disorder (NVLD). Generally characterized by having difficulty with learning concepts and relationships, people living with NVLD also often exhibit incredible verbal and vocabulary skills. “All of those things are really great for writing jokes- “, Rock says of the challenges he faces, “they’re just not great for one-on-one relationships.” Chris Rock publicly speaks about the positive and negatives experiences of living with non-verbal learning disorder. Having received his diagnosis as an adult, has found tremendous success in harnessing his verbal ability for the sake of entertaining millions. You can read an interview with Chris Rock speaking about NVLD here: https://ow.ly/fTiK50QwiVz

Today, we celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. His commitment to equality, justice, and love for humanity continues to inspire us all. Let's use this day to reflect on the progress we've made and continue to commit ourselves to building a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Happy Holidays to all