01/26/2012 0 Comments Contact Our News Editors

Ruth Gullerud believes she was meant to help others with cerebral palsy achieve their goals.
And she has during her 34 years with United Cerebral Palsy of West Central Wisconsin, according to those who know her best.
But the time has come for Gullerud, who turns 65 in March, to do something else. She plans to retire in May from the agency that she has led since 1984.
"I'm going to miss the people, the families, but not the paperwork," said a chuckling Gullerud, who hesitated when she was offered the job as executive director nearly 30 years ago.
However, she remembered a lesson her late father, C.M. Gullerud, taught her many years earlier: "Try it. If you can't do it, fine, but at least you tried it."
As with many of the children and adults UCP serves, Gullerud has cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking.
Gullerud - who uses a wheelchair to get around - believes her disability has helped her perform better at her job.
Gene Amann, UCP development director, agrees.
"She knows what she is talking about," said Amann, who has known Gullerud since 1978. "She has been there."
Gullerud, the seventh of nine children, grew up in Mankato, Minn. Back then, there were not as many support systems for families with disabled children. She decided she wanted to do something about that.
Gullerud graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing. She earned a master's degree in guidance counseling from UW-Stout in Menomonie in 1975. She joined the local UCP chapter in the late 1970s as a program director and counselor and was named its executive director in 1984.
"One of our purposes in the community is advocating for our clients," Gullerud said. "They should be able to achieve any dream they want to."

Gullerud is living proof that can happen, Amann said.
"When I think of Ruth, there is a certain mixture of awe of a life so well-led and a great feeling in my heart that a person challenged by cerebral palsy proved to the world so brilliantly that she could make it to the top through hard work and determination," he said. "She is leaving big shoes to fill."

Since joining the agency, Gullerud has seen UCP expand its services. Today, it offers advocacy, community living support, counseling and support groups, and equipment lending. It also serves individuals with several conditions, including autism.
"If there is a need, why shut the door?" she said.

Longtime UCP board member Brian Rehlinger has known Gullerud for more than a decade.
"She's done a fantastic job over the years," he said. "She has been a great leader. She obviously has an insight into cerebral palsy that is very valuable to the folks that she serves."

Over the years, Rehlinger, who has a son with special needs, has found Gullerud to be a valuable resource.
"She is so caring, and she has overcome a lot of obstacles," he said. "She definitely deserves retirement."

While she is about to start a new chapter in her life, which could include writing a book or two, a ride in a hot air balloon and travels around the United States, Gullerud isn't ruling out continuing to advocate for others with cerebral palsy.
"I'm very guided by the Lord," she said. "The Bible says living in tribulation helps you help others living in tribulation."