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Ernie Dianastasis, a longtime board member of Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore, will be recognized at the 2016 Easterseals Annual Dinner on Thursday, October 13 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront.

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.

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.

Recently, Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore received a 55-gallon drum of hand sanitizer from P&G Dover Wipes Company, located in Dover, DE. This donation will help Easterseals meet guidelines when they start reopening many of their programs that are currently suspended due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Recently, Maryland Delegates Jay Jacobs, Stephen Arentz, and Sheree Sample-Hughes toured Easterseals Camp Fairlee outside of Chestertown, MD to view improvements made possible through their support of Maryland Bond Bill funding.

Easterseals Supported Employment program has been an essential part of our community, Easterseals participant’s lives, and the companies who benefit from the hard-working employees in the program. Easterseals Supported Employment gives adults with intellectual disabilities, including autism, the choice to experience the community through individualized employment. The program matches participants with jobs in local businesses so they can earn competitive wages with the assistance of job coaching and training.

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.

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore employee, Jennifer Cossa, of Hartly, DE, has been recognized as one of the top five Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in Delaware for her leadership in supporting people with disabilities. Pamela Montague, of Georgetown, DE, was awarded Honorable Mention in the Advocate category. Cossa, who supports individuals attending the day program for adults with intellectual disabilities in Dover and Montague, who supports individuals in Easterseals Supported Employment program, were nominated by their supervisors and honored at an annual event held by the Ability Network of Delaware.

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore recently appointed Maggie Webb, of Bear, DE, as the Chief Compliance Officer. Webb has been working for Easterseals since 2018.

Verna Hensley is the mother of Julia Hensley and the vice president of public affairs at Easterseals Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore. "Most parents of children in their twenties are contemplating 'empty nest' syndrome, but it's a different syndrome that haunts me each day. Trisomy 9 Syndrome, a rare chromosome abnormality, entered my world almost 23 years ago when my daughter, Julia, was born."