When you cherish life as much as United Disabilities Services Foundation (UDS) does, you take every opportunity to celebrate it.

Sure, UDS' upcoming gala is a fundraiser designed to raise awareness of its work with people with disabilities and individuals who are aging. But at the heart of it, the gala is a celebration of life.

"Can you imagine being up in the morning and not being able to get out of bed?" said Larry Aubrey, UDS' director of development. "Our caregivers help with those basic needs. That's what UDS is all about. Our clients just want to be regular, normal people like everybody else. We help them lead the best lives they can."

The 15th edition of UDS' annual gala will be presented on Friday, April 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lancaster Country Club, 1466 New Holland Pike, Lancaster. It will be a night filled with refreshments, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, live and online auctions, entertainment and fellowship.

"When I hear 'gala,' I think of a party," said Aubrey. "It's a special occasion. It's set aside for a special purpose. It's really people wanting to have a fun time. (The UDS event is) not a black-tie gala. It's about raising funds and raising awareness. We try to show the folks in attendance how their donations will be used to impact our clients."

About 300 clients, family members, sponsors, community members and UDS advocates and supporters are expected to attend the gala. UDS is hoping to raise $60,000, a sum that will be directly applied to in-home living personal care, one of 14 programs that UDS operates.

"People are always going to need the services we provide," said Aubrey. "People with disabilities and people who are aging in their homes are always going to need these services."

The gala is one of three major fundraisers that UDS conducts annually. UDS' holiday gift wrapping station at Park City Mall involves 250 volunteers and raises about $50,000, and its annual golf outing at Crossgates Golf Club in August brings in nearly $30,000.

"We get a tremendous amount of our program funding from the state, but it doesn't cover all the costs," said Aubrey. "The rest has to come from fundraisers. We want our programs to be as impactful as they can be. Not only is it for our clients, (but) it's also for our caregivers. We want to make sure the people who are providing these services are making a living wage."

The origin of UDS can be traced to 1965 when a local girl in a wheelchair named Anna was unable to attend a showing of "Mary Poppins" because of her disability. Last year, 350 UDS employees provided quality-of-life-improving services to more than 6,000 individuals.

"There are a lot of folks out there who continue to need our help," said Aubrey. "UDS is changing lives every day for people with disabilities and for people who are aging. We feel very blessed that we're able to provide these services to our friends and neighbors, and we can be depended upon. We're here to help people lead full lives."

For additional information about UDS or to bid on items at the gala's online auction, go to http://www.udservices.org.