Easter Seals (US)
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Easterseals (formerly known as Easter Seals; founded in 1919 as the National Society for Crippled Children) is an American
501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
nonprofit providing disability services, with additional support areas serving veterans and military families, seniors, and caregivers.


Services

Easterseals has a network of locations across the United States. Services assist people with physical disabilities, mental disabilities, and special needs. Parents can find support for a child who has a diagnosis at birth and there are services for people who have a disability due to disease, injury, or aging. Easterseals' offerings are categorized into support areas: *Enhancing health – helping individuals and families to achieve life goals through autism services, rehabilitation services, mental health support and housing. *Enriching education – helping children and adults gain skills to live a fulfilled life through assistive technology, child care and early intervention services. *Expanding employment – helping people with disabilities, older workers, and veterans prepare for employment. *Elevating community – providing fun activities for adults and children to build community, relax and rejuvenate through camp and recreation programs.


Fundraising

90% of funds raised go to Easterseals disability services across the nation. Easterseals' funding sources include government grants and agency programs, donations, and fee-for-service initiatives. Donations help the organization provide affordable offerings to clients while maintaining program costs. Easterseals serves about 1.3 million individuals per year. The name "Easter Seals" derived from an earlier fundraising program: beginning in 1934, colorful adhesive seals, the size of postage stamps, were sold around Easter; purchasers stuck these on the back of mailed envelopes, as a popular tradition was to send cards to friends and family both at Christmas and Easter seasons. Because of the program's success, the organization changed its name from "the National Society for Crippled Children" to "Easter Seals." They have since changed their name to "Easterseals." In 2003, Easterseals started "Walk With Me" events across the country. Thousands of people have attended these events over the years, generating millions of dollars for disability services. In 2010, Easterseals expanded the "seal" program through introducing the "Easterseals Blanket." The image on the blanket is chosen through an online vote for the Lily Seal of the Year. Artists submit depictions of lilies to be featured on the blanket.


Legislative action

Since the 1920s, Easterseals has worked with federal, state, and local officials to advance legislation for people with disabilities and disability services. This includes the
Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...
(ADA). Passed in 1990, the ADA guarantees the
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
of people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination. Easterseals also created a public service campaign that highlighted accessibility and employment issues to be addressed by the ADA's implementation. Today, Easterseals continues to advocate for policies that support people with disabilities.


Structure


Headquarters

Easterseals' national office, located in the Board of Trade Building in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, provides assistance to several affiliates through management training, implementation of
best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...
s,
consultation Consultation may refer to: * Public consultation, a process by which the public's input on matters affecting them is sought * Consultation (Texas), the 1835 Texas meeting of colonists on a proposed rebellion against the Republic of Mexico * Consul ...
services,
fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
,
marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
, advocacy, and corporate relations.


Affiliates and service sites

Nationwide, Easterseals locations provide services to people with disabilities and
special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...
in their local communities. Each location operates independently as its own 501(c)3 corporation under the Easterseals name.


Board of Directors and House of Delegates

Easterseals is governed by a National Board of Directors, which is composed of volunteers, most of whom are nominated by one of the organization's affiliates across the country. Elections to the Board, composed of between 15 and 19 members, are held annually by another larger volunteer body, Easterseals National House of Delegates. Directors are elected for three-year terms, and terms are staggered to achieve strength and continuity on the board. Easterseals National House of Delegates consists of volunteers certified by their affiliates to represent them as delegates at the organization's annual convention, thus ensuring broad representation of Easterseals affiliates nationwide. In addition to the numerous training and motivational sessions offered to Easterseals board members, delegates and affiliate staff throughout the convention, the Annual Meeting of the House takes place, when the house elects new members to the national board and addresses any other motions put before it. In March 2020, Easterseals announced the addition of Glenn Henderson, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, and Barry Simon, President and CEO at Easterseals of Oak Hill (CT), to its National Board of Directors.


See also

*
Easter seals (philately) An Easter seal is a form of charity label issue ...
, issued to raise funds for charitable purposes in the United States and Canada *
Ticket to Work The United States Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is the centerpiece of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. This free and voluntary program supports career development for ...
, SSA's Ticket to Work Program


References

*Boone, Pat. "The Human Touch: The Story of Easter Seals." Weiser & Weiser, Inc. 1991
Williams, James E. Jr. "75 years of caring for the disabled." Fundraising Management. September 1994Easter Seals 2005-2006 FinancialsEaster Seals: Autism Services


External links


The Christmas Seal and Charity Stamp Society
- A non-profit organization founded in 1931, publishing catalogs of worldwide fund raising seals including Easter seals, and Christmas Seals; as well as a quarterly journal, ''Seal News''.
Project Action
{{Authority control Charities based in Illinois Health charities in the United States Social welfare charities based in the United States Disability organizations based in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Illinois 1919 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1919