The Story of Easter Seals

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.

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.

Easter Seals Emerges
The overwhelming public support for the Easter "seals" campaign triggered a nationwide expansion of the organization and a swell of grassroots efforts on behalf of people with disabilities. By 1967, the Easter "seal" was so well recognized, the organization formally adopted the name "Easter Seals."

Easter Seals Today
Easter Seals assists more than 1.6 million children and adults with disabilities and their families annually through a nationwide network of sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. Each center provides top-quality, family-focused and innovative services tailored to meet the specific needs of the particular community it serves.

Primary Easter Seals services include:

 Medical Rehabilitation
     Early Intervention
     Physical Therapy
     Occupational Therapy
     Speech and Hearing Therapy
     Job Training and Employment
     Inclusive Child Care
     Adult Day Services
     Camping and Recreation

To meet the needs of your community, services provided at Easter Seals in your area may differ or be more specialized. Contact us to learn more.

Easter Seals also advocates for the passage of legislation to help people with disabilities achieve independence, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Passed in 1990, the ADA prohibits discrimination against anyone who has a mental or physical disability, guaranteeing the civil rights of people with disabilities.

At the core of the Easter Seals organization is a common passion for caring, shared by its 13,000 staff members and thousands of volunteers, and by those who support its mission. This heart-felt commitment to helping people with disabilities and their families is what Easter Seals is all about.

Easter Seals West Kentucky

Easter Seals West Kentucky represents nearly half a century of helping people with physical and mental challenges to gain greater independence by providing quality services.  Begun in 1954 through the merger of the McCracken County Cerebral Palsy Organization and the Crippled Children's Clinic, Easter Seals West Kentucky serves 19 counties in western Kentucky, plus areas in southern Illinois and southeastern Missouri. 

The Crippled Children's Clinic, which was sponsored by the Charity League of Paducah, began in 1934 and served crippled children in Paducah and McCracken County.  The McCracken County Cerebral Palsy Organization opened in 1952, thanks to a generous gift from the Paducah Lions Club to help with the first year operating costs.  Both the Paducah Lions Club and Charity League of Paducah continue their generous investments to Easter Seals West Kentucky.