UH Puts Hub on Hold

For nearly one hundred and twenty years United Helpers has risen to meet the emerging health and human service needs of St. Lawrence County. Our priority as a company has been to create a strong and unique network of community services for the people of the North Country. We are proud to contribute to more than 1800 lives every day.

St. Lawrence County is one the poorest counties in NYS and our economic challenges are many. One of the most significant issues facing our county is the lack of employment opportunities. In response to this issue, United Helpers created Sparx, a for-profit company focused on improving our local economy and in turn, preserving and creating new jobs. 

In 2012, United Helpers purchased and renovated the current Sparx headquarters located at 91 Main Street in Canton; a formerly empty building on Main Street, Sparx now houses over thirty employees and is driving revenue back into the local economy. 

To date, Sparx has focused on providing a unique package of back office services to small businesses and community organizations (human resources, information technology, payroll and accounting), renting professional office space, and researching job opportunities that play to our County’s strengths. Local innovation and collaboration are the focus of our efforts. 

One of the opportunities Sparx investigated is a food HUB and meat-processing center. The idea being that St. Lawrence County produces the “raw material”, but does not reap the value-added benefits (jobs) of processing. Significant time and resources was devoted to researching the HUB and we have concluded that the idea does present a “transformational” opportunity for our community’s economy.

However, Health Care Reform, and the many initiatives that are connected with Health Care Reform, call for an “All Hands-On Deck” effort and require United Helpers to focus on our long-term health care strategy. While disappointing for many reasons, continued exploration into the food HUB and processing center have been postponed while we address Health Care Reform. 

As always, United Helpers looks forward to continuing its partnerships with community agencies and working with others to help St. Lawrence County reach its economic potential.  

Society Honors Spies Award Recipients

OGDENSBURG – The Society of the United Helpers gave out this year’s Margaret R. Spies Awards to three employees who embody the qualities looked for in direct care staff: dedication to the people they care for and a willingness to go above and beyond expectations.

This year’s awards went to Patricia Kerr, a certified nursing assistant at Maplewood Health Care & Rehabilitation Center, Debra Bice, a direct support professional from Mosaic and Brook Duprey, a certified nursing assistant at RiverLedge Health Care & Rehabilitation Center.

The Spies Award was created in 2001 when Ann Spies made a generous gift to the Society of the United Helpers that created an endowment in memory of her mother, Margaret R. Spies, former resident of RiverLedge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and longtime Hammond school teacher. Margaret Spies appreciated hard work and the ability to give from the heart.

 “My mom was a really great generous lady,” Ms. Spies said. “When she came here the staff recognized how delightful she was, and I was always very pleased with the care, concern and love that she received. I thought something ought to be done to honor this wonderful staff.”

Addressing the three award winners, Ms. Spies told them they are each blessed with a special gift.

“The ability to care for others the way you do is a gift and it’s a gift that the people who make millions of dollars on Wall Street don’t have,” she said.

Mosaic Administrator Michele Montroy introduced Ms. Bice and said all you need to know about her comes from the fact that both her co-workers and the participants at Day Hab lovingly refer to her as “Momma.”

She worked for us a while ago and the moved away, but when she moved back and reapplied we were all very excited,” Ms. Montory said. “She has a never faltering positive attitude and is always willing to whatever needs to be done and then some.”

Maplewood Administrator Kimberly McFaddin introduced Ms. Kerr, noting her co-workers often refer to her as an “interdepartmental liaison.”

“A big part of what they do is taking care of the residents, but they must also take care of each other,” Ms. McFaddin said, noting she recently spent a shift working as a CNA alongside Ms. Kerr.

While Ms. Kerr said working alongside the building administrator for a day was nerve-wrecking, Ms. McFaddin said the day for her served as a learning experience.

Brook Duprey was introduced by RiverLedge Director of Nursing Brittany Thornton.

“She is always positive, frequently has a smile on her face and you can tell she loves her job,” Ms. Thornton said before giving several examples that showed she truly cares about the residents on the memory care unit where she works.

She also read a quote that came from one of those residents.

“Brooke is a beautiful person, inside and out.”

Recipients of the Margret R. Spies Awards are nominated for the honor by their administrative team and their peers. A plaque that lists the names of all the Spies Awards recipients hangs at RiverLedge.