Press Releases

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore recently received a grant from DuPont to support its Supported Employment program – a program that opens the door to meaningful work and competitive wages in the community for adults with intellectual disabilities, while providing employers with dedicated, productive employees. Each year, Easterseals partners with over 60 businesses around Delaware to recruit and train individuals with disabilities for their workplace.

Recently, Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore received a $30,000 grant from the Donnie Williams Foundation to support their Children’s Therapy services in Salisbury, MD. The grant, which will be used to hire additional therapists, will help meet the overwhelming needs of children and families who are already receiving services as well as offer services to those waiting on the expansive waitlist.

As the warm weather rolls in, the ideas of swimming pools and s’mores by a campfire dance in the minds of campers. Camp is a rite of passage for many people and that is why Mark Engberg donates to Easterseals Camp Fairlee each year so children and adults of all abilities are able to experience the joy of camp in a safe and accessible environment.

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore recently welcomed Nisha Lodhavia, of Wyoming, DE; Thomas Moore, of Newark, DE; and Nikkia Squires, of Claymont, DE, to its Board of Directors.

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore recently welcomed Pamela A. Patone, of Middletown, as the new Vice President/Chief Financial Officer. Patone joins Easterseals with a diverse background in senior accounting, management and nonprofit experience.

When most young adults graduate from high school, they typically know which direction they are going to head, whether it be attending college or jumping right into a job. When Mikayla graduated from high school, she and her mom, Michele, knew exactly where to turn and it was the place where she began many years before -- Easterseals!

Caregiving responsibilities can be overwhelming at times but when a caregiver has someone sharing that weight, it does not feel as heavy. Easterseals is proud to come alongside caregivers, like Erika Carlson, who supports her husband, Chuck, with dementia.

Mikayla Buterbaugh, of Newark (formerly of Middletown), recently testified at Delaware’s Joint Finance Budget Hearing sharing her experience with Easterseals and pleading with the committee to ensure fair pay for Direct Support Professionals, who support adults with disabilities like Mikayla.

There is nothing better than being in a room full of friends and familiar faces – even if it is a virtual room. Although Easterseals adult day programs reopened in the fall, many of the participants have not been able to return due to health factors. However, Easterseals Direct Support Professionals have not let that stop them from connecting through virtual platforms with participants like Toni Parago.

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore announced that it has received a grant from DuPont to purchase tools for intervention kits for children under the age of three with autism participating in their Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy. The grant will ensure that each child has their own kit with the consideration of not spreading the COVID virus.

Recently, Mark Engberg, (Charles Schwab Independent Branch, Rehoboth Beach, DE) a long-time supporter, generously donated to Easterseals Camp Fairlee and hopes his donation encourages others in the area to do the same.