Below is a list of common questions we hear at the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center in Evansville, Indiana, and their answers. If you have another question or would like to request more information about Easterseals, feel free to use our online form to contact us or call 812-479-1411. Thanks for your interest!
Q: What is Easterseals?
A: Easterseals is a nonprofit organization. We provide programs and services to empower children and adults with disabilities, disabling conditions, and/or special needs, and their families. We've been a part of the Tri-State community for almost 80 years.
Q: Are program and governance decisions made locally?
A: Yes, ESRC is a private, not-for-profit entity, governed by a local, volunteer board of directors. ALL decisions about programs and services are made locally.
Q: Does money raised by the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center (ESRC) stay local?
A: Money raised locally through our numerous fundraising events and from our many community supporters stays local to help underwrite a variety of services for thousands of our friends and neighbors in this region.
Q: Does the national Easterseals organization solicit funds in this area?
A: Rarely, but on occasion, mailings or emails are received from the national office with requests for donations. Often those solicitations come from a Chicago address but if you have any question about this, please contact our local development office at 812-479-1411.
Q: Do all Easterseals affiliates provide the same services?
A: No, each affiliate was established by advocates in that community to address whatever gap needs existed. Because the needs vary by community and by state, services vary, too, and each affiliate is unique. Affiliates range in size from very small, single program operations to very large, multi-program services with large geographic areas. Locally, our Easterseals Rehabilitation Center is a mid-size, multi-program operation serving people from a relatively small geographic area (30+ counties in Southwestern Indiana, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky).
Q: What value-added services does national Easterseals provide?
A: In addition to the use of the Easterseals brand and website coordination, the national office provides two primary functions that are very beneficial to ESRC locally. They provide frequent networking opportunities among dozens of affiliates in various states around the country, including training on best practices and extensive resource sharing. Additionally, the national organization has a strong lobbying and education effort in Washington, DC, and advocates for people with disabilities on an ongoing basis. They were a leading advocate for the passing of the ADA in 1990 and continue to advocate directly and to bring affiliates together around issues to have a voice in nearly any legislation related to disability services and supports.
Q: Has the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center in Evansville always been an Easterseals affiliate?
A: The Easterseals Rehabilitation Center has always been affiliated with Easterseals nationally. Easterseals was originally the Society for Crippled Children and our local organization was the Vanderburgh County Society for Crippled Children. This continued until 1967 when the national organization and all affiliates became known as Easterseals. Locally, when our main facility first opened on Bellemeade Avenue in 1957, it operated under the name The Rehabilitation Center, Inc., but we were always an Easterseals affiliate. As various rehabilitation centers opened in the tri-state, it was necessary for us to clearly differentiate ourselves and we began co-branding the Easterseals name with The Rehabilitation Center name in the 1970s. In 2014, we made a complete name change to Easterseals Rehabilitation Center, Inc. as the logo and branding was changing from the Easterseals Lilly to the current Starburst.
Overall, we are very fortunate to have the autonomy to address the needs in the Tri-State area and to develop strong local partnerships; we are equally fortunate to be part of a strong network with shared vision and mission and to have direct access to leaders and peers in the disability community. It gives us the best of both worlds!
