A Minute with Matt
Dear Friends,
As we reflect on 2009, we have had many wonderful firsts.
- Our UnitedHealth Group employees pledged more than $1 million to UHCCF in a record-breaking charitable giving campaign. The amount is matched dollar for dollar by UnitedHealth Group.
- We held an employee art competition and produced both UHCCF holiday cards and note cards (that we sold out of by the first of November!)
- We had more than eighty employees join our UHCCF volunteer corps to help us promote UHCCF both internally and externally.
- We completed our first full year as a member of America's Charities.
- We expanded the UHCCF item selection in our online store.
- We established an external grant application program to help us find new fund-raising avenues.
- Our national press release, followed up with radio public service announcements, had almost 800 airings throughout the country.
- We sponsored more than 20 awareness and fundraising events, including golf tournaments, bowling, and marathons.
- We completed outreach efforts to pediatricians, children’s advocacy organizations and children's hospitals.
In addition, we provided grants to 451 children valued at $1.48 million, with an average grant of nearly $3,300. You will meet and learn more about some of these very thankful grant recipients later in this newsletter.
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the support of the many special employees, board members and friends who volunteer their time and talents to UHCCF. To those many people who unselfishly and tirelessly give of themselves--asking for nothing in return--we express our deepest gratitude and sincere appreciation.
We are not the only ones who are grateful. Click on the link below and read a thank-you note from the mother of one of our children. Joshua is a five-year-old who has severe language impairment and behavioral issues associated with autism. We provided a $5,000 grant to help with his therapy.
As we enter the New Year, we are motivated by the continuous generosity of our employees and donors. I know 2010 will be an exciting year.
Matt Peterson,
UHCCF President
"The noblest question in the world is what good may I do in it?"
-Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanack, 1737
Online Store - A Sale!
UHCCF is pleased to announce that nearly all of the items in the UHCCF online store are on sale for 10-30% off! Pick up a youth butterfly t-shirt for your kids, a high quality sweatshirt for your spouse, or a Primo mug to keep your drink warm during the winter months. The sale lasts through January 31, 2010, so shop today!
UnitedHealthcare to Serve as Title Sponsor of Pro Cycling Team
Momentum Sports Group, owner and operator of the OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis, recently announced that UnitedHealthcare is the team’s title sponsor starting in 2010. The team will be known as the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis. Throughout the year, the cycling team will help advance UnitedHealthcare’s goal of giving back to the communities that it serves. Through various events, the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team will help raise money for the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation.
For more information, please visit http://www.uhcprocycling.com
Thanks a Million
The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) had a great 2009 UnitedHealth Group Giving Campaign. Nearly 8,000 UnitedHealth Group employees contributed a total of over $1 million to UHCCF. With the online auction adding another $63,000, UHCCF will receive a grand total of $2.15 million with the company match! These funds will enable our four Regional Boards to provide medical grants to children nationwide. Our employee contributors should feel proud that their contribution will stay within the region where the employee resides and will help children live healthier lives.
Top Medical Conditions
As you may be aware, UHCCF provides medical grants to children throughout the U.S. The following are the top medical conditions and what the medical grants helped cover during 2009.
| Medical Condition | % of Grants |
Granted For |
| Autism | 26% |
Therapies, ABA, Psychotherapist, Sensory Integration, Hippotherapy |
| Speech Delay | 13% |
Therapies, DME, Communications Device, ABA |
| Hearing Loss | 13% |
Hearing Aids, Therapies |
| Cerebral Palsy | 6% |
Therapies, Testing, Communications Device, DME |
| Developmental Delay | 4% |
OTC and non-OTC Medications |
| Other | 38% |
N/A |
Key:
Therapies = Occupational, physical and/or speech therapy
ABA = Applied Behavioral Analysis
DME = Durable Medical Equipment
OTC = Over The Counter
Your Dollars in Action
Riding High
Jaylin - Abington, Massachusetts
Jaylin, a five-year-old girl with Down syndrome, may be smaller and weaker than most of her peers, but when she gets on a horse for her hippotherapy sessions, she stands head and shoulders above everyone else—and is full of confidence.
That confidence is newfound, says her mom, Jessica. In addition to Down syndrome, Jaylin was born with a heart defect (that was corrected at 6 months), gets tired more easily than most children her age, and has difficulty hearing and communicating. Jaylin has always been a very happy, compassionate child who loves animals, but her physical limitations also limited her socially, her mom explains.
Jessica heard about the benefits of hippotherapy—which is using the rhythmic movements of horseback riding for physical therapy—and thought it would benefit Jaylin. But the cost was just too high. When the instructor told Jessica about UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation and its grants, she eagerly applied.
"I'll never forget the day the acceptance letter arrived," said Jessica. Not only were they thrilled that Jaylin would get her therapy, but the package contained a teddy bear that Jaylin adores—and sleeps with every night.
Since starting hippotherapy, Jaylin has made great strides: Her balance, strength, and coordination have improved, she's speaking more and pronouncing words more clearly (especially "go, horse!"), and she's much more open to trying new things.
She's also gained some extra respect from her three younger sisters, who are now seeing her meet challenges—and succeed.
"We are very thankful to the Foundation for the grant," says Jessica. "It's a huge relief to know that Jaylin is getting the therapy she needs, and the bills are not overshadowing it all."
Many Firsts
Liam - Carmel, Indiana
Liam is a three-year-old boy from Carmel, Indiana. He has cerebral palsy and this year his family was awarded a $5000 grant for an adaptive stroller, physical, occupational and speech therapies and botox injections to help relax his muscles.
"He's a great person with a great sense of humor," says his mom, Meaghan. Liam likes to play with his two older brothers, ages five and nine. Needless to say, theirs is an active household.
Meaghan says receiving the grant was a huge relief. She says when they received the package with the bear and the approval letter, they were so excited. Because of the UHCCF grant, Liam has been able to receive additional therapy and botox injections and because of that, Liam is now starting to walk! The family’s insurance only covered 20 sessions of therapy per year, but now Liam is able to receive PT, OT and speech therapy weekly - and what a difference it has made! Because of the speech therapy he's been receiving, Meaghan says Liam is talking and interacting more with his brothers and the rest of the family. And Liam marked another first as well - starting Early Childhood Development classes.
Meaghan says a friend, who is a psychologist, told her about the UHCCF grants. She says she was especially glad to find an organization that offers help to middle-class families, like theirs, that are often not eligible for any other kind of assistance. And to any family with medical costs, she says she would definitely encourage them to apply. "It was the perfect thing for our family and it has really helped."
UHCCF Awareness on the Rise
Throughout the year, our volunteers in the field did an excellent job raising awareness and funds from the external marketplace to benefit UHCCF.
Events included golf tournaments, walks and runs, auctions, and wine tasting. Below are some highlights of our successful events:
| Golf Tourney in Atlanta The third annual Georgia Golf Classic was a day of great golf and enthusiastic fundraising for the UHCCF. After experiencing record floods in the Atlanta area only the week before, October 20, the date of our tournament, was a day of sunshine, blue skies, and comfortable temperatures. The event was held at the beautiful Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, where our participants filled not one, but two golf courses! The Georgia health plan has a special partnership with the Atlanta Falcons football team this year, so current Atlanta Falcons players, alumni, and cheerleaders were on hand to interact with the foursomes and lend their support. Forty volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the day to greet the golfers, encourage them to participate in contests on the greens and bid on silent auction items. At sunset, we hosted a barbecue dinner on the grounds of the club, followed by a lively "live" auction led by Grant Snyder, Small Business, RVP for the West Region. The highlight of the evening, however, was the opportunity to meet a past recipient of a grant and her family as they joined us for dinner as special guests. Hearing the mother of a grant recipient tell everyone about her family’s experience and how much the UHCCF grant meant to them reminded us all of the reason for this event and the impact the Foundation is making on children's lives. |
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| Apraxia Walk in Minnesota UHCCF representatives attended the inaugural "Minnesota Walk for Children with Apraxia of Speech" event Oct. 24 in Waconia, Minnesota. The walk, hosted by Childhood Apraxia Speech Association of North America, helped raise funds and generate awareness for childhood apraxia, a speech disorder that causes children to have difficulty making sounds, syllables and words. UHCCF representatives joined approximately 100 other attendees and spoke with them about UHCCF’s child medical grant program that provides eligible families with up to $5,000 for child health care needs. |
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| Golf Tourney in New York On Monday, July 27, the New York health plan hosted its first golf charity fundraiser to benefit the UHCCF. The event was held at the Port Jefferson Country Club in Port Jefferson, NY, and included a golf tournament followed by an evening of dinner and silent auction. The day began with a golf tournament and included 124 golfers. During dinner, Jeff Alter, Chief Executive Officer for the Northeast Region and the Northeast Region UHCCF Board member, spoke about the power of UHCCF, highlighting several children whose lives have been dramatically improved by medical grants for services such as speech therapy, surgeries and hearing aids, also as a highlight to the evening a child that received a grant from the UHCCF joined along with his family. By all accounts, the fundraiser was a huge success; raising approximately $62,000 to help families in the Northeast Region. Special thanks to all of our sponsors, especially our title sponsors: BWD, First National Administrators, Frenkel Benefits and Professional Group Plans. |
UHCCF thanks those employees who volunteered and donated countless hours to help host an event. We look forward to expanding fundraising events in 2010.