What is Easterseals? Easterseals provides services to help children and adults with disabilities and/or special needs as well as support to their families. We've been helping families for nearly 100 years. Today, Easterseals assists more than one million individuals and their families annually at more than 550 Easterseals service sites across the country. Each center …
Volunteer Spotlight: Spotlight on John Pratt
John has been one of the race directors of Run the Woods for over twenty years! This 5K/8K trail run and 1-Mile Hike is held on the first Saturday of October at Easterseals Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, and brings several hundred runners, volunteers and supporters to Timber Pointe every year while raising money for Easterseals through race entries and …
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A Message of Thanks from Isaac’s Mom
In a year filled with uncertainty, want to share a story with you that fills our hearts with thankfulness. This year, so many generous supporters stepped up to help Easterseals families continue their therapy through Telehealth. Here is a message of thanks from our friend Isaac’s mom, Christina. “Telehealth has been a huge blessing to …
Meet the Easterseals #OurCommonThreads Artists!
This year, we dedicate our 30th annual tribute to Our Common Threads - the values that have woven our community together throughout 2020. At Easterseals, Our Common Threads are family, joy, love, friendship and growth. To help us share these threads with the community, we relied on the help of several Easterseals Ambassadors, who in …
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A Back to School Surprise
When our 28 students at the Easterseals Learning Academy returned to school for the first time since March, they were greeted with a wonderful surprise. Their outside patio had been transformed into a bright, colorful Sensory Garden! This active, outdoor space, made possible by a small grant from PNC, was designed to create a multi-sensory …
Passage to India: A Cultural Feast at Home
Passage to India is an annual celebration benefitting Easterseals, typically held at the Peoria Civic Center that is widely recognized as a premier cultural event in Central Illinois. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing guidelines, we pivoted to a virtual event, titling this year's celebration "A Cultural Feast At Home". This …
Cuz I Can!
Sometimes it just takes one person to inspire you to chase your dreams. That was the case for Jill Maglio-Ryan. Born in Sheffield, IL, Jill was a hairdresser who owned and operated a salon out of her home. When she became pregnant and gave birth to her daughter, Meghann (or Meghann Marie as her mom …
Why I Give: A conversation with Tim Erickson of CORE Construction
Tim Erickson, President of CORE Construction, and Becky Dluski, CORE's Office Manager, delivering hand sanitizer and antibacterials wipes to Easterseals CORE Construction. has been a long supporter of Easterseals Central Illinois, with an incredible 25 years of giving. Recently, President Tim Erickson saw a great need and acted swiftly and selflessly to fill it. CORE …
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Meet Brevyn! Virtual Easterseals Fashion Show
Life is a party - Dress like it! That is the theme for this year’s Easterseals Ladies Auxiliary Fashion Show! An event which started in 1955 as a small fashion show with just over 100 people in attendance, has grown into a fundraiser that raised $40,000 last year to benefit the children of Easterseals Central …
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Easterseals Central Illinois Response to local news story on bullying and Autism
Earlier this month, a teenager with an autism was attacked by peers in her hometown. As we strive to create a world where every child is 100% Included and 100% Empowered, we released the following statement in order to provide support for Makenna and education for our community. The vision of Easterseals Central Illinois is …
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