Commitments to Easter Seals

Look closely at what makes Easter Seals unique from other health and human services providers, and it becomes clear: Easter Seals' greatest strength comes from the people who are Easter Seals. Relationships between therapists and clients, between teachers and preschoolers, between staff and parents, and between volunteers and staff. Helping children and adults with disabilities gain greater independence involves whole individuals, whole families and support systems.

Corporate sponsors, volunteers, staff, and national representatives share their commitments to Easter Seals and creating solutions that change the lives of people with disabilities.

Meet our Partners and Friends

Read our Testimonials

Partners and Friends

First 5 Monterey County

First 5 Monterey County supports community partnerships and programs that enhance the lives of children, from the prenatal stages through age 5, and their families.

First 5 Fresno County

The mission of First 5 Fresno County is to be a catalyst for creating an accessible and effective network of quality services for young children (0-5) and their families.

Area Board VII
The Area Board is a state agency that advocates for people with developmental disabilities. This agency networks with families and connects them with the appropriate people for their particular situation.

Epilepsy Network
The Epilepsy Network provides support information and resources for families affected by epilepsy. They have information on community groups. They provide training in first aid and understanding and recognizing seizures. They also provide education about epilepsy to facilitate understanding in the classroom and the community. The Epilepsy Network has a resource center on Locust Street in Santa Cruz with pamphlets, videos and other resource information.

Office of Client's Rights  (OCRA)
OCRA represents clients with developmental disabilities for appeals after they have been denied services. They also provide training on parents' rights in both English and Spanish.

Peaks and Valleys Family Resource Center  (FRC)
Peaks and Valleys FRC provides training, mentoring and networking for parents of children with developmental disabilities from birth to five years. Peaks and Valleys also assists with diagnostics and additional services for children.

Special Education Local Plan Area  (SELPA)
SELPA coordinates and helps to facilitate the relationships between Special Education staff, school districts and parents. They try to have the parents' needs met before they seek due process. SELPA also provides staff training in effective communication. Dan Cope also works as a neutral facilitator at Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings.

SPIN  Special Parents Information Network
SPIN provides parent training and networking for parents of children with physical, developmental and learning disabilities as well as mental illness (emotionally disturbed). They also provide parent support by matching parents that are experienced in dealing with a child with disabilities and new parents.

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Testimonials

Cathy Brown, former Ambassador Haley Brown's mom: "Haley is part of a family that believes in community involvement. Our family strongly holds to the belief that being part of a community and part of a family means that you should give back as much as you receive. We have also received so much in our lives through the organizations that have helped our family.

We were thrilled to have Haley represent Easter Seals Central California as Ambassador. We said "Yes!" without hesitation when she was asked and really enjoyed this special time representing Easter Seals. We knew this would be a family commitment because of the time, travel and all the preparation it takes to work with a community group. We said yes because Easter Seals had done tremendous things for Haley, who has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or brittle bones.

Haley attends Easter Seals Camp Harmon, where she feels like a star. At Camp, she is in her wheelchair the whole time, enjoying all the activities, having fun and feeling free. At school, for many years, she had an Easter Seals aide. Today, Haley is out of her chair much more and ready to go "solo" with no aide by her fifth grade year. This kind of independence is what Easter Seals is all about. In fact, Haley is able to achieve this kind of independence because of what her Easter Seals aides have taught her about taking care of herself and being responsible about her physical safety.

Easter Seals Central California has impacted our whole family. We were so proud when our daughter served Easter Seals as the Youth Ambassador. It was an opportunity that gave her a chance to give back to her community and to do what she loves - share her special spirit!"

Marilyn Ormonde, Camp Harmon attendee for over 35 years: "The first time I went to Camp Harmon I was six and I didn't want to stay but at the end of my two weeks there, I didn't want to leave. I was there the very first year in 1963 and I have been to Camp every year except the past couple of years when I got my new puppy LBD (little brown dog). Because I have been to camp for over thirty years and for the longest, I am famous in a way. Cabin Number One is called the Marilyn Ormonde cabin. When Jane Carr and Paul Arbogast, camp directors, had this idea in 1983 to name the cabins, I was chosen as number one! Now I have the nickname 'Old Cabin Lady.'

What is really neat is that all the 14 cabins have been named for campers who have been at Camp Harmon for a long time. I think that shows how friendly and great it is at Camp. My memories of Camp are mixed - some are good and some are sad. I remember that getting away from everyone and everything and my family was so good for me. I come from a family of five kids and I'm the oldest, so my Mom really got a break when I went to camp.

But there are hard changes too, like when you don't see people at camp that you knew and loved. You know what picks me right up when I feel sad, I go to the Chapel and sit under the redwoods for some quiet time.

The campers at Harmon also feel like they own a bit of Camp. We tell the counselors what we think and we don't always see eye to eye, let me tell you. But I love all the directors and counselors. I am so thankful for Easter Seals Camp Harmon and just try to stop me from coming this summer, LBD or no LBD!"

Charly Terpstra, Founder of Charly's Angels, Volunteers: Easter Seals has been apart of Charly Terpstra's life for nearly 40 years. His mother-in-law, Lucille Geisel, was Executive Director and his father-in-law served on the Board. "Easter Seals came with the family," says Charly. When Lucille invited Charly to visit Camp Harmon for Sunday lunch 37 years ago, he met more than 60 children who were completley unique. He decided then and there to see what he could do to help. Charly helped his father-in-law build the chapel and the infirmary in honor of his late mother-in-law.

An owner of a construction company, Charly and his crew of volunteers built three cabins in 1963 and began remodeling the 11 remaining cabins. Through the years, his work crew, now called Charly's Angels, has reroofed the Main Lodge, and restored and rebuilt the camp one step at a time. Charly's Angels has installed new gas lines, renovated the pool building with donated wood, built a new arts and crafts space, added insulation, added a walk-in freezer and new ceramic tiling in the kitchen, built all new dressers and bathrooms in each of the cabins, and added 144 new wooden bunk beds. All the building materials at Camp Harmon have been donated or discounted. For the bathrooms, Charly's Angels put in 527 volunteer hours of labor and three months of solid week end work. New heaters were installed in all 14 cabins. There are now more than 300 Charly's Angels volunteers because, as Charly says, "There is always a job to be done at Camp Harmon."

Billee Paul, Easter Seals Central California Board member: "When I lived in Fresno, California, I joined my first Easter Seals Board in 1954. I was very active until I relocated to Santa Cruz in the early sixties. Then I joined the Board of Easter Seals Society in Santa Cruz in 1968. To be honest, it seems as though there hasn't been a time when I wasn't involved with Easter Seals. When I was in Fresno, we accomplished so very much. When I joined, I was told that Easter Seals takes care of people who fall through the cracks - people who need help and can't get it due to lack of money or lack of state aid.

When I first was involved, polio was still very present and Easter Seals was paramount in helping those afflicted. We funded a pool program in Fresno and helped with equipment and other programs and services. In Santa Cruz, since I have joined the changes have been tremendous. I was involved when Easter Seals helped begin the Cabrillo College Stroke Center. I have seen Camp Harmon grow from its very beginnings to its new present upgrade. I have been out there beating the bushes to raise money for new facilities at Camp and made sure that the pool at Camp is in tip-top shape.

I have seen Easter Seals Central California grow from being one Easter Seals Society in one county to a large organization that serves ten counties in the central region of California. Today, we serve a broader range of disabilities and a larger age group, yet the needs are being better met. I plan on seeing growth into the new decade. You are only as young as you feel. As I give to Easter Seals Central California, I feel younger and younger."

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