Easterseals

By Lorine Parks

Remember the March of Dimes? And the President’s Birthday Ball, every January 30^th? Because Franklin D. Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes to fight polio in 1938, the dime was chosen to honor him. The Roosevelt dime was issued in 1946, on what would have been the president's 64th birthday.

Over the years, this humanitarian association became a victim of its own success. Polio, once the nightmare of parents and feared by children and adults alike, has now been nearly eradicated from the face of the earth. That’s a success story which Rotary International also shares.

Easter Seals was founded in 1919 as the National Society for Crippled Children. Like the March of Dimes, with whom it shares a Council seat, with the acronym ESMODNC, the organization began to search for other causes, and took other names. It has since taken up promoting general health for pregnant women and babies; Rubella, also called German measles; whooping cough; maternal and neonatal care and prematurity; fetal alcohol syndrome and autism. Now addresses disabilities and special needs.

What’s the meaning behind the new word, “Easterseals? Dan Quinn, our speaker and its senior director for corporate relations, explained, “We’re introducing a new word to your vocabulary, Separately, the words Easter and Seals conjure various connotations about who we are and what we actually do. The new single word Easterseals, works to strip away this confusion and pay tribute to our legacy and past with a new openness to build our own meaning for the name.

Easterseals assists more than one million children and adults with disabilities and special needs (including autism), through a network of more than 550 service sites in the United States.

“The new design around our name appears as rays of light, hope, sunshine, radiating out from the ‘e,’” Dan said. “The deliberate grouping of circles in the new logo symbolize our breadth, our scope, our network, our communities, our individuals served, all coming together to take on disability.”

Easterseals is redefining disabilities, going beyond physical conditions to include invisible, emotional, social and educational challenges.

Dan also told us how the association is marketing itself in today’s clamor for attention. For example, as he spoke, flyers were being passed out publicizing the 10k walk, 5k run on Saturday Oct 1, The event is put on by Century 21 realtors, but managed by Easterseals. Because there are so many charitable non–profits today, the folks at Easterseals find they can be more effective by networking.

“We also have a new tag line,” said Dan: “Taking on disability together” This speaks to our collaborative work across our affiliates, within our communities, alongside the people we serve and with you, our loyal supporters.”

How is Easterseals supported financially? “Easterseals receives funding from a variety of sources, including private insurers, government agencies and fee-for-service,” Dan said. “To make our services accessible to as many people as possible Easterseals also relies on public contributions. Public contributions help cover the difference between actual program costs and what our clients can afford.”

“For nearly 100 years, Easterseals has been the indispensable resource for people with disabilities,” Dan continued. “Now, as America faces a broad range of new issues, we have evolved to make a positive, life-changing difference in the lives of people and families who experience today’s disabilities. While Easterseals history is rooted in providing services to children with physical disabilities, today, we’re advancing opportunities for people of all ages and a range of disabilities to better live, learn, work, play and act in their communities.”

“The bottom line for us,” Dan said, “is addressing the huge level of unmet needs among people with disabilities — a growing community that includes those with visible and invisible disabilities, as well as veterans, aging adults, caregivers and more. Too many young children reach kindergarten with undiagnosed disabilities and delays, too many youth with autism don’t get the behavioral health services necessary to graduate job-ready, and too many older adults enter nursing homes because they can’t access personal care or adult day services to remain in their homes.”

“Our mission is redefining the way we view, experience and embrace disability in the 21st century.”

Thanks to Easterseals’s most significant brand initiative in more than 50 years, the public response to the new brand roll-out is far exceeding expectations. “Together we’re setting a path to celebrate Easterseals’ 100th anniversary in 2019,” Dan said.