What is Easter Seals? What services are provided?

Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for more than 90 years. Whether helping someone improve physical mobility, return to work or simply gain greater independence for everyday living, Easter Seals offers a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life's challenges and achieve personal goals.

We provide the following services:

• Babies Can't Wait
• Champions for Children
• Early Childhood Social / Emotional Development
• Easter Seals Solutions Training
• Early Education and Care
• Head Start and Early Head Start
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• P.L.A.Y.
• Speech & Language Therapy

Easter Seals in Georgia
Easter Seals has been providing services to children in Georiga for more than 50 years. Easter Seals was founded to provide therapy to children rehabilitating from polio. Since then, the organization has expanded its services to meet the needs of children with disabilities and other special needs living in North Georgia. Easter Seals North Georgia, Inc. is an affiliate of the Easter Seals National organization.

How Easter Seals Started, Tragedy Leads to Inspiration
In 1907, Ohio-businessman Edgar Allen lost his son in a streetcar accident. The lack of adequate medical services available to save his son prompted Allen to sell his business and begin a fund-raising campaign to build a hospital in his hometown of Elyria, Ohio. Through this new hospital, Allen was surprised to learn that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view. Inspired by this discovery, in 1919 Allen founded what became known as the National Society for Crippled Children, the first organization of its kind.

The Birth of the Seal
In the spring of 1934, the organization launched its first Easter "seals" campaign to raise money for its services. To show their support, donors placed the seals on envelopes and letters. Cleveland Plain Dealer cartoonist J.H. Donahey designed the first seal. Donahey based the design on a concept of simplicity because those served by the charity asked "simply for the right to live a normal life."

The lily -- a symbol of spring -- was officially incorporated as Easter Seals' logo in 1952 for its association with resurrection and new life and has appeared on each seal since.