United Helpers Hosting Second Annual Fan's Choice NFL Ticket Drawing

OGDENSBURG – United Helpers is preparing to host its Second Annual Fan’s Choice NFL Ticket Drawing.

Tickets for this year’s drawing will go on sale on Friday, July 18. This year the drawing will be even bigger and better than before with the winner receiving two tickets, valued at up to $500, to the regular season game of their choice. Given that the drawing takes place on NFL opening day, week one games are not eligible.

While last year’s drawing was limited to games played in the North East, this year the drawing is open to any game on the NFL’s regular season schedule. 

Elaina Rumble won last year's drawing. She's pictured here
with her son Ben enjoying a Buffalo win over the Dolphins.

“United Helpers has friends and supporters all over the country, so this year we decided to expand on the ‘Fan’s Choice’ model to really give the winner a choice. This also makes it easier for people who live in Florida, California or a different market to take part in this fundraiser,” said United Helpers Marketing Manager Benny Fairchild.

Ticket prices for the drawing remain the same as last year and will be $10 each. Bundles are also available with three tickets for $25 or seven tickets for $50.

Tickets will be available online through the “Giving tab” at unitedhelpers.org. Tickets can be purchased in person (cash only) at the United Helpers RiverLedge complex, 8101 State Hwy. 68 in Ogdensburg.

Only 1,000 tickets are available, with sales continuing until all tickets are sold or 11:59 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 2. The drawing will take place on Thursday, Sept. 4, the opening day of this year’s NFL season and be broadcast on the United Helpers Facebook page.

United Helpers will purchase tickets to the game, pending availability, of the winner’s choice. Tickets will be forwarded electronically to the winner. Transportation, meals and lodging are not included.

Always Caring Pickleball Tournament Raises More Than $10,000 for United Helpers

POTSDAM – A Potsdam-based group of pickleball enthusiasts from around St. Lawrence County recently hosted the Always Caring Pickleball Tournament helping the organization raise more than $10,000.

The tournament included more than 60 players from four different divisions battling it out on the courts. A silent auction featuring more than 50 different gift baskets, a 50/50, and bake sale was also held.

Leading up to the event United Helpers secured more than $7,600 in sponsorships with gifts coming from Barclay Damon LLP, Financial Quest, SeaComm Federal Credit Union, Kinney Drugs Foundation, SymQuest, AmericCU Credit Union, One Group, One Digital, NAHEC, Victory Promotions, St. Lawrence Supply, Rochester Regional Health, Carlisle Law Firm PC, Latham Auto LLC, and the Clipper Inn. Volunteers from United Helpers also ran the bake sale that day, which raised more than $500.

The North Country Pickleball Group’s donation to United Helpers came from registration fees, the 50/50 and silent auction. The group’s gift to United Helpers totaled $4,310.

“We are grateful to each of our sponsors as well as the North Country Pickleball Group for helping to make this event a tremendous success,” said United Helpers Assistant Director of Corporate Services Jordan Downing-Duke. “There were also a large number of businesses and individuals who made donations to the silent auction or provided baked goods – far too many to mention, but many of them were United Helpers employees and board members.”

Providing food for the event were Rosie's Hawg Dogs and An Italian Affair.

Using funds raised through the Always Caring Pickleball Tournament, The North Country Pickleball Group recently made a gift of $4,310 to United Helpers. The event, which was also sponsored by several area businesses, raised a total of more than $10,000 for United Helpers. Kneeling in front, from left, United Helpers Fundraising Specialist Natalee Bean, United Helpers Director of Corporate Services Michelle Matthews, Don Tompkins; standing, from left, United Helpers Board Member Sue Denesha, Phil Foisy, Nancy Foisy, Dan Hayes, Gayle Hayes, United Helpers Assistant Director of Corporate Services Jordan Downing-Duke, United Helpers Marketing Manager Benny Fairchild, Theresa Fisher, Michael Popvich, Katie Geidel, and United Helpers SLU PIC Intern Eileen Carnes.

Local Students Honored With Helen S. Randles Scholarships

OGDENSBURG – A trio of students, one each from Ogdensburg Free Academy, Hammond Central School and Norwood-Norfolk Central School were honored with this year’s Helen S. Randles Scholarships.

This year’s winners were selected from the largest pool of applicants in recent memory. United Helpers CEO Todd Amo said each of the recipients and their families should be proud.

“The three of you, as well as our other applicants are the future of health care,” he said. “My understanding is it was incredibly difficult to pick this year’s winners, but the three of you rose to the top.”

Mr. Amo also noted that while coming from different districts, each of the students are enrolled in the New Visions Medical Professions program through St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES.

“This is a tremendous program and BOCES does a great job of preparing young students for careers in health care or the next step in a student’s education,” he said.

For Laughlin O’Donnell, of Ogdensburg, that next step will be LeMoyne College in Syracuse where he is planning to major in nursing. Mr. O’Donnell is the son of Paul and Nicky O’Donnell and aspires to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Also looking to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is Emma Dillon, of Norwood. The next steps in her career path will bring her to the University of Buffalo, where she is enrolled in their nursing program. Ms. Dillon is the daughter of Lisa Russell and James Dillon.

Ava Howie, of Hammond will be attending SUNY Brockport and majoring in biology. While she said she knows she wants to enter the nursing field, she’s not sure yet exactly where that will take her, although she is considering working towards becoming a nurse practitioner. Ava is the daughter of Allen and Karen Howie.

Each year United Helpers awards three $1,000 scholarships, which are funded through an endowment created by the late Ms. Randles, who established the scholarship more than 40 years ago to provide merit-based aid for students looking to enter the health care field.

Mrs. Randles was a long-time United Helpers volunteer and former President of the Management Company Board of Directors. She placed a great value on education and particularly helping prepare youth to enter the health care field.

Emma Dillon, of Norwood was among this year’s Helen S. Randles Scholarship Recipients. Ms. Dillon will be attending the University of  Buffalo, where she is enrolled in the school’s nursing program. From left, United Helpers Board members Sue Denesha and Clara Carswell, Ms. O’Donnell, Board President Darlene Liscum and United Helpers CEO Todd Amo. Ms. Dillon is the daughter of Lisa Russell and James Dillon.

Laughlin O’Donnell, of Ogdensburg was among this year’s Helen S. Randles Scholarship Recipients. Mr. O’Donnell will be attending LeMoyne, where he is enrolled in the school’s nursing program. From left, United Helpers Board members Sue Denesha and Clara Carswell, Mr. O’Donnell, Board President Darlene Liscum and United Helpers CEO Todd Amo. Mr. O’Donnell is the son of Paul and Nicky O’Donnell.

Ava Howie, of Hammond was among this year Helen S. Randles Scholarship Recipients. Ms. Howie will be attending SUNY Brockport and majoring in Biology. From left, United Helpers Board members Sue Denesha and Clara Carswell, Ms. Howie, Board President Darlene Liscum and United Helpers CEO Todd Amo. Ms. Howie is the daughter of Allen and Karen Howie.

North Country Pickleball Group to Host Always Caring Pickleball Tournament

POTSDAM – Pickleball, pizza, pastries and more will be served up on Saturday, June 14^th when the North Country Pickleball Group hosts the Always Caring Mixed-Doubles Pickleball Tournament.

Proceeds from this year’s tournament, which includes four division to accommodate different talent levels, will benefit United Helpers. Registration for the tournament is $40 per team with a discount if your team enters more than one division of play. 

Food trucks from Italian Affair and Rosie's Hawg Dogs will be on site, as well as a bake sale with a variety of cookies, muffins, pies and more. There will also be a basket drawing with more than 40 gift baskets and other prizes to award.

Prizes for the basket drawing including a children’s bike and helmet, dining packages, golf packages, season tickets for St. Lawrence and Clarkson hockey, and several themed gift baskets with grilling, summer fun, fishing, Harry Potter and even campfire fun among the themes.

The fun will get underway at 8 am at the Pine Street Arena in Potsdam and last late into the afternoon with music playing all day long. There will be free balloons and teddy bears for the kids, so come on out and enjoy this fun, family event!

To register for the tournament, please use the Playtime Scheduler app or email nocopickleball136@gmail.com.

UH Rocks Bringing the Entertainment to One Lucky Person This Summer!

OGDENSBURG – Bands and musicians like Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Creed, Shania Twain, Rod Stewart and Chicago are all traveling to Upstate New York for shows this summer and if you’re the lucky winner of our UH Rocks ticket drawing, you could be enjoying the show from one of the best seats in the house.

The winner of this drawing will receive a $500 Ticketmaster gift card. Not a fan of live music, comedians like Kevin Hart, Jeff Dunham and Brad Williams will all be coming to the area too. Tickets to events like the WWE, monster trucks and even many theatrical productions could be at your fingertips.

“Following the success of the NFL Fan’s Choice Drawing held this past summer, we wanted to once again do something different, something that would appeal to the masses and something that could once again attract interest from people who may not be our stereotypical fundraising demographic,” said United Helpers Marketing Manager Benny Fairchild. “With the wide range of entertainment options available through Ticketmaster, we feel like this does just that.”

Tickets for this will be $10 each. Bundles are also available with three tickets for $25 or seven tickets for $50.

“While not everyone enjoys football, most people do enjoy live entertainment, whether it’s music, comedy, theatre or something else,” said Assistant Director of Corporate Services Jordan Downing-Duke. “The winner of this drawing really has a ton of options; they could buy one amazing seat to a show of their choice or maybe even enjoy lawn seats for several shows at the amphitheater in Syracuse. The choice is theirs.”

Tickets will be available online at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ticketmasterdrawing/event/uhrocks/. Tickets will also be available during regular business hours at the United Helpers RiverLedge Campus reception desk, located at 8101 State Hwy 68 in Ogdensburg.

Only 1,000 tickets will be printed, with sales continuing until all tickets are sold or 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 30. The drawing will be held on Tuesday, April 1 giving the winner plenty of time to pick out which show or shows they would like to attend.

Transportation, meals, and lodging are not included with the prize.

Whether you like rock, rap, country, comedy or even theatre, the UH Rocks ticket drawing has a prize for you. The winner of this drawing will receive a $500 Ticketmaster gift card, which they may use to purchase ticket(s) to the show or shows of their choice. Tickets are available for $10 each, three for $25 or seven for $50. Tickets will be available online at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ticketmasterdrawing/event/uhrocks/. Tickets may be purchased in person (cash only) at the United Helpers RiverLedge Campus reception desk, 8101 State Hwy 68, in Ogdensburg, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. The drawing will be held on Tuesday, April 1 giving the winner plenty of time to pick out what show or shows they would like to attend.

Denesha Honored with Harry E. King Award

OGDENSBURG – One of the longest tenured volunteers in the history of the United Helpers organization was honored at this year’s annual meeting with the Harry E. King Award, an award named for another long-time volunteer of the organization.

Susan Denesha of Dekalb Junction, who has been a United Helpers volunteer since 2005, was surprised with the honor earlier this month.

Mr. King’s daughter, Marti MacArthur nominated her for the honor. 

“My father was quite soft spoken, yet always spoke up when he had something to say, had a great sense of humor and belonged to many community groups. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He was loved because he helped anyone who needed it and expected nothing in return,” Mrs. MacArthur said. “You could use those same sentiments to describe Sue. He would be honored to have an award in his name presented to someone like her.”

According to United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care Vice President of Operations Timothy Parsons, Mrs. Denesha’s time with United Helpers began when her father was a patient at the United Helpers Canton Nursing Home.

“Her journey with us began as a result of her wanting the best for her father, but she has continued on with us and quite literally helped enhance the quality of life for hundreds of North Country seniors along the way,” Mr. Parsons said.

In addition to assisting activities staff on lunch outings and field trips, Mrs. Denesha has been preparing and serving home cooked meals for residents multiple times each month for nearly 20 years.

“Our residents look forward to these meals perhaps more than anything on the calendar,” said Activities Director Patience Boswell.

In addition to being an active volunteer herself, Mrs. Denesha also helps recruit other volunteers for activities. Mrs. Boswell said she would bring in so many volunteers, that they eventually named Mrs. Denesha Volunteer Coordinator.

“We give her a list of our activities every month and she makes sure they all happen by supplementing our staff with people from her roster of volunteers,” Mrs. Boswell said.

Prior to presenting Mrs. Denesha with the award, Mr. Parsons read through a lengthy, but incomplete list of ways she has helped the facility including leading an Alzheimer’s support group, participating in resident council meetings, fundraising, casino outings, lunch outings, arranging for preferred seating at the county fair, bake sales, help with trick or treating, and more.

“Sue is our biggest cheerleader, but will not hesitate to inform us when we can do better for our residents. She makes it possible for us to offer more activities and programing,” Mr. Parsons said. “She inspires us all to do more and be better people.”

This was third time the Harry E. King Award has been awarded, previously going to Dr. Edward Gordon in 2020 and Wayne Ladouceuer in 2017.

Mrs. MacArthur established the award in honor of her father as a way to recognize outstanding board members.

According to the award’s description, written at the time it was created, “The award is not an annual award by definition. It is to be presented only rarely, in the case of a desire to recognize a volunteer to UH who is virtually unrivaled and exceptional in his/her commitment to UH and his/her service to UH’s residents, clients, and families.”

For only the third time in the award’s history, the Harry E. King Award was presented. Susan Denesha of Dekalb Junction received the honor at this year’s annual meeting. Mrs. Denesha has been a volunteer with United Helpers since 2005 when her father was a resident at the United Helpers Canton Nursing Home. From left, United Helpers Management Company Board of Directors member Marti MacArthur, Rehabilitation and Senior Care Vice President of Operations Timothy Parsons, Mrs. Denesha with her husband Larry Denesha, and Activities Director Patience Boswell.

Memory of Charlene Hall to Live on Through Charlene's Fund

OGDENSBURG – For more than 40 years Charlene Hall received care from staff at United Helpers, whether it was at Cedars Nursing Home in Ogdensburg or at one of several different Individualized Residential Alternatives (IRAs).

During that time she made an impact on the lives of those who cared for her as well as her housemates. Now thanks to a generous gift from her family, that impact will continue for many years to come through a scholarship fund that bears her name.

Charlene’s cousins Russell and Peg Hall, of Gainesville, Fla. created the fund as a way to say thank you to all those who cared for her over the years prior to her passing in January. 

Peg and Russ Hall with a photo of Charlene

“We were always impressed with the level of care Charlene received,” Mr. Hall said. “We were particularly impressed with the caregivers who chose to make this their life’s work.”

The fund, which was created with the assistance of, and is managed by the Northern New York Community Foundation, is designed to help direct care staff attend webinars, seminars, conferences, and even earn additional certifications that may bolster their careers and enhance the services provided by United Helpers.

Misty Thomas, a Licensed Master Social Worker at the Behavioral Health Clinic in Canton, is the first employee to utilize these funds. She will be attending a six-day class where she will earn certification enabling her to provide EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy. United Helpers currently does not have a provider on staff who can perform this service.

According to EMDR Institute, Inc., EMDR therapy is a valuable tool used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Information from the Institute’s website, emdr.com, states, “Some studies show that 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder after only three 90-minute sessions. Another study, funded by the HMO Kaiser Permanente, found that 100% of the single-trauma victims and 77% of multiple trauma victims no longer were diagnosed with PTSD after only six 50-minute sessions. In another study, 77% of combat veterans were free of PTSD in 12 sessions.”

“I want to help provide more access to trauma focused therapies in an effort to reduce mental health triggers, increase physical health and wellness, improve client safety and relationships, and increase the effectiveness of established mental health care,” Ms. Thomas said. “This opportunity offers me a chance to help my community and my clients by having additional education and therapeutic techniques to support the needs in our area.”

Charlene was born and raised in Watertown, living a typical childhood until an abscess on her brain at the age of four stunted her growth and development. Mr. and Ms. Hall say despite the physical impairment, their cousin “had a sharp mind and a quick sense of humor.”

The Halls say she lived with her parents until shortly after her mother’s passing in 1976. It was at that point, Charlene moved into Cedars Nursing Home. When United Helpers opened its first Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) in 1982, her care then transitioned to what is today known as United Helpers Behavioral Health and Life Skills. That portion of the company operates 11 IRAs across St, Lawrence County.

Charlene continued to enjoy visits with her father until his passing in 1996. According to her obituary, she always enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and going out to eat.

Assistance from Charlene’s Fund is available to anyone working at United Helpers in a “direct care role.” “We thought it was important for them to have staff development opportunities without finances being an obstacle,” Ms. Hall said. “There are people out there waiting for an opportunity to make things happen and we hope this fund can help with that.”

Assistant Director of Corporate Services Jordan Downing-Duke presents Licensed Master Social Worker Misty R. Thomas with a certificate from Charlene’s Fund. Each recipient of assistance from this fund will be presented with a certificate, which also includes a picture of Charlene Hall, for whom the fund is named. From left, Mrs. Downing-Duke, Ms. Thomas and Lead Social Worker Daniel Knight.