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When Easterseals Pre-Vocational Services group enters the room, it is all hands (and paws) on deck to help Faithful Friends stay in tip top shape so they can continue the great work they do in the community. While the Easterseals participants are helping Faithful Friends, they are also learning valuable job skills that can lead to full-time, paid employment.

It is hard to find a group of people who bring dedication and a hard-working attitude but also smiles with them. The CHEER Center, which serves seniors in the Sussex County Region, found that in a group of volunteers from Easterseals Pre-Vocational Services. Participants at Easterseals love volunteering in the community, and thanks to this partnership, they are able to do just that while learning valuable work
skills.

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.

Bill Sudell may be the ‘official’ volunteer when he signs in for duty at the Easterseals in New Castle but it’s his dog, Skipper, who is the star of the show. For the last six years Bill Sudell and Skipper, an eight-year-old Schnoodle, have brightened the days of the people who attend Easterseals day services.

When Emily Hurst, of Hockessin, first walked through the doors of Easterseals she was very nervous, but little did she know how much she would grow to love the environment, the staff, new friends and, of course, the dance parties. As those nerves faded, Emily’s mom, Julia, has watched her grow into a more independent woman thanks to the skills she is learning at Easterseals.

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.

Easterseals was out in full force at the rally last week to support HB 104, the Michael McNesby Full Funding for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities. We are asking the State to keep its promise and approve $9 million in state funding as a first-year commitment to fully fund disability services.

A group of participants from Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore’s day program for adults with intellectual disabilities recently received the “Community Partnership Group of the Year Award” for 2019 from Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in New Castle County for having the most volunteer hours.

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.