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About Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania
Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania provides exceptional services to people with disabilities and other special needs to ensure that they and their families maximize their potential and have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.
Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania provides services to more than 3,000 children and young adults with physical disabilities and developmental delays, including individuals affected by conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, spina bifida, fetal alcohol syndrome and maternal drug addiction.
PANO Certification - Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania is certified under the Pennsylvania Nonprofits Standards for Excellence program with the Seal of Excellence. This seal demonstrates our commitment to upholding the highest standards of ethics and accountability in the nonprofit sector.
Read the latest news from Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania here:
Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania Board of Directors
Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania's dedicated Board of Directors help to guide the agency and set its direction.
Officers
Elaine Stanko, McNees, Wallace & Nurick, LLC
Chairperson of the Board
Frank Garton, Worley Parsons
Vice Chairperson of the Board
Tony Deutsch, Concannon Miller
Treasurer
Nancy Knoebel, Easter Seals CEO
Secretary
Board of Directors
Dolores Bertoti, Alvernia University
Tim Charlesworth, Fitzpatrick, Lentz & Bubba
Steve Falatyn, MD, OAA Orthopaedic Specialists
Richard Morse, MD, Lehigh Valley Pediatric Associates
Manish Kumar, MD, Reading Hospital Children's Health Center
Maureen Fenerty, PPL
Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania Administration and Staff
Nancy Knoebel
President & Chief Executive Officer
Deborah F. Hill
Chief Financial Officer
Gina Bortz
Development Director
Open
Vice President, Program Services
Did You Know?
- Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania's mission is to provide quality, comprehensive programs and services to people with disabilities and other special needs in the communities we serve by creating solutions that promote dignity and change lives by maximizing each individual's potential.
- Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania serves individuals in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Schuylkill Counties. To find out more about the counties we serve or the Pennsylvania Department of Health, visit Helpful Links.
- Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania operates our programs and services at our facility in Reading and throughout the Lehigh Valley & Pocono communities.
- Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania provides many programs and services to respond to the various needs of people with disabilities. For a complete listing, please visit our Services page.
- Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania is one of the largest providers of Early Intervention services in Pennsylvania, serving more than 3,000 children with disabilities and their families every year.
- Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania's Cleft Palate/Cleft Lip and other specialty pediatric clinics are the only such services in our communities.
- Our volunteers help in our offices, generate charitable contributions, assist with special events and help to lead our agency as board members. To learn more about volunteering, please visit our Volunteer page.
- Our annual budget is $3 million.
- Over 80% of our expenses are in direct services to people with disabilities.
- Our annual revenue comes from four primary sources:
- Government (51.9%)
- Contributions (14.7%)
- Fees for Services (25.0%)
- United Way of Berks County (8.4%)
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The Story of Easter Seals National Organization
Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for more than 80 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 fundraising 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. In 1919, inspired by this discovery, 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 one million children and adults with disabilities and their families annually through a nationwide network of more than 450 service sites. Each center provides top-quality, family-focused and innovative services tailored to meet the specific needs of the particular community it serves. For services provided by ESEP, please visit our Services page.
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.
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