By Anne Ruisi
Little did Dr. Jimmie Harvey know when he traveled to Albany, New York, in 1986 to ask his future father-in-law for permission to marry his daughter that it would lead to not only a happy marriage and four children but also to decades of service to what was then known as United Cerebral Palsy.
“Fortunately, he said, ‘Yes,’” Harvey said, and after lunch, his soon-to-be father-in-law took him to the UCP center in Albany, where he was involved in disability services.
“I got the impression that that was something that he would love for me to get involved in,” the retired Mountain Brook oncologist said.
Almost 40 years later, on Aug. 17, Harvey will be honored by United Ability for his decades of service to disabled people during the Journey of Hope gala at the Alys Stephens Center. United Ability was formerly known as United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham.
“He definitely gives of his time and talents and has since day one,” said David Barry, United Ability’s director of marketing and communications.
United Ability provides comprehensive, innovative services connecting people of all ages with disabilities to their communities and empowering individuals to live full and meaningful lives, according to its website.
The site credits Harvey as a driving force behind the organization’s success, saying he has been a board member, past president and prolific fundraiser.
“What this place means to me is this is people with disabilities and turning that into abilities,” he said.
The organization has a 76-year history in Birmingham and was founded in 1948 by a group of citizens who wanted to provide services to medically fragile individuals with cerebral palsy, according to the nonprofit’s website. It was renamed United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham in 1972 and United Ability in early 2017 to better reflect its service to people of all types of disabilities.
For years it was based in downtown Birmingham, which was its location when Harvey got involved. He saw the technology and services provided and the individuals gaining capability and purpose.
“You never forget the people. You never forget what you see,” he said. “The next thing I know, I’m doing stuff with UCP of Greater Birmingham. I’m on the board and later became the board chair,” he said.
In 2001, UCP’s vision to offer multi-disciplinary, comprehensive services became a reality with its relocation to its 20-acre campus on Lakeshore Drive. The adult services building, Harvey said, was “a very old decrepit building,” which he jokingly described as “held together by duct tape.”
A new adult services building was going to cost $10 million. Although Harvey had no experience in fundraising, he agreed to lead the effort when asked to do so.
“I had never, ever done that, and in my heart I said, ‘I’m going to do it.’” he said.
He found that people in Birmingham were very generous.
Harvey took off from work every Wednesday for about nine months to focus on fundraising, taking potential donors to the adult center downtown early in the morning so they could have a tour and see “what was going on,” he said.
He remembered a program participant at the time who used a wheelchair and sang the National Anthem every morning as the flag was raised for the day. Potential donors would see the man come out of the building and sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “that would just about seal the deal most of the time.”
It was important that potential donors toured the adult building so they could see in action the services United Ability provided to participants, including the language lab that pioneered computer augmented speech.
“People had not been able to express themselves,” until it was available, Harvey said.
He recalled meeting a young woman who, when she was able to access the device, first said ‘thank you.’
“The second thing she said was, ‘Thank you, mother. I love you.’”
Harvey, who will be 73 on Aug. 24, remains a member of the United Ability Foundation board of directors, but his involvement goes beyond attending meetings and fundraising.
His strong personal connection to United Ability was obvious as he sang the praises of staff and warmly interacted with participants by name during a recent visit, sharing handshakes and hugs, smiles and grins.
“I love this place. I love the people,” Harvey said. “This place, to me, is what love is all about.”
Journey of Hope Honors Family, Former CEO
United Ability’s Journey of Hope gala will be honoring people who have shared their time and talents to further the group’s mission of helping improve the lives of people with disabilities.
The Fleury Family (pictured) and Lynn Roebuck are among them.
Brian and Courtney Fleury will share the story of their son Jamey and the progress he has made working with United Ability, according to the group’s website.
Roebuck, who worked at United Ability for 24 years, will be honored with the Dr. Gary Edwards Award of Inspiration. The annual award is given to a direct care professional. Edwards was a longtime United Ability CEO who died in 2020.
