Hi! My name is Ben Hedrick, and I'm a UCP kid! Often times when people support a cause they don't get to see the end result and what their money buys. I started my journey with UCP when I was 2 years old in 1989, in what is now the Hand In Hand program.  And though I was in the program for only a couple of years, UCP gave me an excellent foundation with its preschool program.  My mom told me that the UCP preschool program staff taught her to use a common sense strategy when working with a child that has a disability. This has been one of the single most important things I was taught in regard to my cerebral palsy. Without that lesson, my journey would've been much harder! It allowed me to go into a regular classroom in the public school system with limited support as I needed it.

 As I progressed, I had the honor of being in the gifted resource classes for students excelling in academic areas. As I continued to grow in many different ways, I was honored to be inducted into the National Honor Society and also graduated with honors from high school in 2006. Afterward, I decided to take a year off to prepare myself for college. During this preparation, I decided to leave Birmingham and attend college at the University of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama. I have been there for three years now and am majoring in Business Administration.

 The support from my parents, family and friends has allowed me to work hard in spite of adversity. I am currently embarking on my senior year and planning to graduate in December of 2011.  My college experience has been a great opportunity for me to experience life as any other student would – living in the dorm and staying up too late with friends. While at the University of Mobile, I have been privileged to chair a Student Activities committee and to be inducted into Delta Mu Delta, the honor society for business majors.

This summer I have had the fabulous opportunity to come back to UCP. This time I am coming not as a client, but as a student intern. I never dreamed that the entire staff would have given me the experience that I have had. The staff here has given me a real opportunity to assist in helping clients and writing grants. This summer has given me a real understanding of how a non-profit organization works. As part of my grant writing, I have had the opportunity to cross collaborate with several of UCP’s departments learning all about different programs. I look forward to this experience helping me in my post- graduation plans of working with disabled college students, so that they can have successful and fun experiences also. My entire experience at UCP has been great!

 Ben Hedrick