December 21, 2015

by: Emily Hastings

Why I Give to UCP – Tomie Patton

Thomasina “Tomie” Patton became involved with UCP of Greater Cleveland in the late 1990s after learning about our Community Employment program. After hiring a few clients, Mrs. Patton served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2003-2006. She is currently a member of the Lorain County Business Advisory Committee (BAC).

My interest in UCP started back in the ‘90s with employing UCP clients. I learned about the (Community Employment) program and saw that it was very well run. At first some of my employees were a little hesitant about working with someone with disabilities, but UCP helped with the transition. It was amazing to see the shift in the employees and how well they reacted to working with someone with disabilities. Since then, I have employed several UCP clients.

I continued to stay involved with UCP after my board membership ended because I still felt very connected to the mission and the people. UCP serves a very vital function in the community. As a (founding) member of the Lorain County BAC, I help find jobs for people with disabilities, which is a growing segment in our society; they need jobs so that they can live fuller lives. We are helping to address a need that isn’t thought about very much by the general public.

I would encourage others to donate to UCP of Greater Cleveland because it is such a well run organization; the administration and staff are just outstanding. I feel like my money is used as efficiently as possible and is going to be used properly for the mission rather than being eaten up in exorbitant administration costs. This organization helps people who truly need it.

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