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John Suggs is counting down the days until his 12-day adventure at Easterseals Camp Fairlee, and it is not hard to see why. For John, who is visually impaired and has Cerebral Palsy, camp means independence, new experiences, and friendship. For his parents, Lisa Dornell and Robert Suggs, it means a break from caregiving.

When two-year-old Penelope “Penny” Pratz, of Wilmington, DE, started receiving Easterseals Children’s Therapy services, she was unable to stand on her own or walk. Her parents, Alexandra and Scott, were worried she may never walk, but they put their trust in Easterseals, and that made all the difference.

Tina was reluctant to leave her youngest son, Kyle, for the first time at Easterseals Camp Fairlee. Thanks to some gentle nudging from her daughter-in-law, she was finally persuaded to give it a chance. All that worry went away as soon as she opened the car door and saw Kyle’s smiling face.

When Dominick David, of Newark, is in his Easterseals day program for adults with intellectual disabilities, his mom, Lynne, knows he is engaged in activities, forming relationship bonds and staying connected to his community.

Bill Mosley, of Hartly, DE, is blind, has a hearing impairment, and is an amazing advocate! With the help of Easterseals Direct Support Professionals, he learned how to write the alphabet so he could write a letter to his elected officials about issues important to him and other people with disabilities. Senator Tom Carper was so impressed that he stopped into Easterseals Dover adult day program last week to meet Bill and discuss the issues. With the support of his direct care staff and his sister, Bonnie, Bill is creating important awareness about disability issues.

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.

An indispensable resource for the region, Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore is celebrating 75 years of creating an inclusive community for local children and adults with disabilities, seniors, and their families. Though early services focused solely on children’s therapy services, Easterseals has expanded over the years to meet the needs of adults with disabilities and seniors through innovative services to ensure they have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.

Each camper that attends Easterseals Camp Fairlee becomes a part of the Fairlee family, but some members have been a part of the family for a lot longer. Jamal, who has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair, looks forward to coming to camp each year and has been coming for 26 years. Starting at the age of 6, Jamal has made his mark on the camp well into his adulthood and enjoys every minute of his experience.